German minister fears higher train ticket prices after court ruling

Steffen Schütz, Thuringia's transport minister, expressed concern over potential increases in local public transport ticket prices following a European Court of Justice ruling. The ruling has invalidated a regulation that previously limited the fees charged for using the rail network, known as track access charges.

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The federal government is called upon to live up to its responsibility.

According to the Thuringian Ministry of Transport, the court's decision means these charges can now rise, impacting the cost of rail travel. This issue was a central topic at a special conference of the transport ministers from Germany's federal states. Schütz stated that the federal government must now fulfill its responsibilities.

The federal states are collectively demanding that the federal government compensate for the additional financial burden resulting from the increased track access charges. Schütz warned that these higher fees jeopardize the success of the "mobility transition", a nationwide effort to shift towards more sustainable transportation, particularly on rail and in local public transport overall.

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The federal states will demand that the federal government compensates for the additional burdens resulting from the new track access charges.

He articulated that, from the Free State of Thuringia's perspective, the elevated track access charges pose a significant threat to the ongoing efforts to promote rail-based mobility and public transport. The ministers are seeking federal intervention to mitigate these cost increases.

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From the perspective of the Free State, the increased track access charges for rail passenger transport threaten a successful mobility transition on rails as well as in local transport overall.