German rail associations sue over regional track access charges

The Federal Association of Regional Rail Transport (BSN), along with numerous railway companies and the state of Bavaria, has filed a lawsuit at the Administrative Court of Cologne against track access charges for regional passenger rail.

The legal action targets the pricing model used by Deutsche Bahn as the network operator. Previously, costs for regional rail were capped by shifting the financial burden to freight and long-distance transport. However, a March ruling by the European Court of Justice determined that this price cap was inconsistent with European law.

Following this ruling, the Federal Network Agency released new track access prices. The BSN warns that these changes could lead to significant cost increases for regional rail, estimating a 9 percent price rise for 2026, which would result in approximately 400 million euros in additional costs. Further increases are expected in subsequent years, with average growth rates projected at 7.8 percent.