Rising track access charges (TAC) in Germany are threatening the very existence of private wagon keepers and wagon maintenance companies, according to the German Private Wagon Association (VPI). The organisation is now coming forward with three demands to solve the issue, including a fundamental reform of the current German TAC system.
The second demand entails an increase in TAC subsidies for 2025 to 350 million euros. The third one asks for the cancellation of the “provisions in the Railway Regulation Act that allow DB InfraGO to claim high profit”. Concerning the TAC system reform, VPI said that it should be developed by the German Ministry of Transport “in close consultation with the industry associations”.
The association concerns stem from the fact that TAC in Germany will be 16.2 per cent higher, the largest price increase ever for the country. The rise in track access charges is due to the decision to bump DB’s “equity by 10.5 billion euros in 2025,” VPI explained. “The result would be, among other things, lower utilisation of wagon fleets and workshops – and thus an existential threat to these companies”, the association said.