Bundesnetzagentur publishes report on cost recovery through regional and local rail passenger transport charges for 2018-2022
Year of issue 2024
Date of issue 2024.06.04
The Bundesnetzagentur has today published a report on federally owned railway infrastructure undertakings' recovery of costs through regional and local rail passenger transport charges.
This second cost recovery report is for the period from 2018 to 2022. The report includes assessments of DB Netz AG and DB Station&Service AG, which were merged into DB InfraGO AG in December 2023. The Bundesnetzagentur examined the volume and revenue trends of track access charges to see whether there was an over-or under-recovery of costs. The report also provides an outlook for the years 2023 to 2025.
For the reference period the assessments of the infrastructure undertakings gave no uniform picture in terms of cost recovery through regional and local rail passenger transport charges. However, the trends were clear: in nearly all cases, cost recovery through regional and local rail passenger transport charges was in decline.
Inflation and price increases intensify this trend beginning in 2023. The annual rate of increase for regional and local rail passenger transport charges, which is set by law at 1.8%, is not able to offset the inflation and price increases, which results in declining cost recovery.
Under the Rail Regulation Act the Bundesnetzagentur is required to examine whether the track access charge curb causes an under-recovery of costs among the federally owned railway infrastructure undertakings for regional and local rail passenger transport. A cost recovery report must be published every five years.
The second cost recovery report (for the period from 2018 to 2022) is available in German at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/eisenbahn-berichte#FAQ904368.