The Swedish Transport Administration Trafikverket will reduce track access charges (TAC) for rail freight transport by 20% starting with the 2028 timetable. This move should provide some relief to the industry after a significant increase in 2025.
Track access charges are a big portion of the total costs faced by rail freight operators and have a significant impact on the final price paid by the customer. Between 2024 and 2025, TAC in Sweden rose by 40%. As a consequence, the Swedish government decided to increase the subsidy fund from around 50 to around 80 million euros.
Now, the decision has been made to reduce TAC for freight altogether. This comes after a study commissioned by the government to Trafikverket in June 2024 to review TAC calculation bases. While the ones for freight will decrease, the ones for passengers will be 15% higher. However, they weigh much less on ticket prices, which are still expected to increase by 15%, according to Trafikverket.