{"id":290681,"date":"2025-09-24T22:33:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T12:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=66180"},"modified":"2025-09-24T22:33:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T12:33:27","slug":"the-new-german-rail-strategy-leaves-freight-mostly-in-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=290681","title":{"rendered":"The new German rail strategy leaves freight mostly in the dark"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Monday 22 September, German transport minister Patrick Schnieder presented a long-awaited strategy for the country’s troubled rail sector. The strategy touched upon many issues, but left the specifics open to interpretation. German rail freight has become little wiser.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Monday seems to have been a good day for passenger rail in Germany. Following the presentation of Minister Schieder\u2019s strategy, rail associations sounded optimistic about the announced plans. “It’s good news for all rail travelers in Germany that today, for the first time in 30 years, we have in black and white the federal government’s strategic cornerstones for rail transport in Germany\u201d, said Dirk Flege, managing director of rail association Allianz pro-Schiene.<\/p>\n

When it comes to rail freight, key issues addressed in the strategy include track access charges (TAC) reform, a plan for single wagonload traffic and a further separation of DB InfraGO from the Deutsche Bahn Group.<\/p>\n

A more independent DB InfraGO<\/h2>\n

When it comes to the latter, there are some cautious positive reactions to Schnieder\u2019s plans for DB InfraGO. \u201cWe believe that the abolition of the infrastructure department on the Group Executive Board fulfills one of our central requirements\u201d, private rail freight association Die G\u00fcterbahnen stated following the strategy presentation.<\/p>\n

The measure would reduce the influence of the broader DB Group in infrastructure management issues \u201cA big step forward\u201d, Die G\u00fcterbahnen says, although it does not eliminate all forms of mingling by the Group. \u201cThere are other ways to exert influence, for example through infrastructure officers in the DB Group, but the board of directors has certainly been the most influential body to date\u201d, the association says.<\/p>\n

\"DB
DB CEO Lutz announcing the establishment of DB InfraGO. Image: Deutsche Bahn AG \u00a9 Hans-Christian Plambeck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The positivity continues when looking at the announcement for a TAC reform by 1 January 2027. \u201cThis is very helpful for us in terms of specifics, and we now need to move quickly to implement it.\u201d How such a TAC reform will look in practice however, the strategy does not specify.<\/p>\n

Focus on passengers<\/h2>\n

Those were, in essence, the good parts for rail freight. Overall, the strategy is still very much centered around passenger traffic, and specifics for rail freight are severely lacking. \u201cSome things sound very progressive, but overall, the strategy is simplistic in its current form\u201d, write passenger rail competition association mofair and Die G\u00fcterbahnen in a joint statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt contains no concrete transport targets and hardly any measurable figures. The framework provided by the federal government remains vague, and the changes to the management concept are far too weak to bring about a turnaround at DB\u201d, they add.<\/p>\n

To the disappointment of the rail freight sector, competitors in the branch are not at all mentioned in Schieder\u2019s plans. The only competition issue brought up is non-discriminatory access to the rail network, which is not much of a problem today, says Die G\u00fcterbahnen. \u201cNetwork access is largely fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

The strategy\u2019s short comment on single wagonload traffic – the future of which will be highly impactful on rail freight in Germany – also leaves much to be desired. Schnieder wants to \u201cexamine the transformation of single-wagon transport combined with a hub system.\u201d Die G\u00fcterbahnen says that it is unable to comment on what a hub-based single wagonload system would mean.<\/p>\n