Bundesnetzagentur publishes report on 2023 railway market developments
Year of issue 2024
Date of issue 2024.06.07
The Bundesnetzagentur has today published the results of a short survey on railway market developments in 2023.
Non-federally owned undertakings gaining market share
In both rail passenger transport and rail freight transport the non-federally owned undertakings were able to increase their share of the market in terms of transport performance. With an increase of three percentage points in rail passenger transport these undertakings now hold well over one third of the market. In rail freight transport the non-federally owned freight railway undertakings surpassed the 60% threshold with an increase of two percentage points and held 61% of the market share in 2023. In long-distance transport the non-federally owned railway undertakings increased their market share to 5%.
Deutschlandticket boosts demand
The introduction of the Deutschlandticket in May 2023 led to a visible increase in demand for regional and local rail passenger transport, with the average monthly passenger-kilometres rising by around one third beyond their previous level. The increase was particularly strong for long-distance regional express lines and tourist connections. At the same time demand for long-distance rail passenger transport increased by around 20%.
Rail freight transport facing challenges
After several years of growth, rail freight transport performance in 2023 saw around a 10% decline in terms of both train-kilometres and tonne-kilometres. The overall economic slowdown with reduced business activity led to lower transport demand. In addition, rising energy prices, staff shortages and the high number of construction sites in the network presented challenges for the freight railway undertakings.
The report has been published on the Bundesnetzagentur's website (in German) at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/eisenbahn-marktuntersuchung.