The Green Party is calling for stronger governmental regulation of long-distance rail transport in Germany. This intervention is intended to prevent cities such as Bamberg and Münster from losing their ICE connections following the planned entry of the Italian train operator, Italo.
Matthias Gastel, a Green member of the Bundestag, told the newspaper “Die Zeit” that instead of passively waiting and hoping for the best, “we must create rules early on to ensure a broad range of service across the country.” He stressed that no region should be marginalized.
The Green party’s parliamentary group recently introduced a legislative draft outlining several key proposals. These include connecting 78 additional cities to long-distance transport and increasing service frequency at 81 railway stations.
According to the draft, a company founded by the federal government would be established to determine which cities will receive future long-distance connections. This body would also define route paths and service frequencies, anchored by the established “Deutschlandtakt” (Germany Tariff/Schedule). Gastel argued that this precise planning of long-distance transport is standard practice in many other European countries, contrasting it with the current situation in Germany, which he described as a “wild west” scenario. Currently, the entire long-distance market operates as a free competition, allowing rail companies to decide where, how often, or how rarely they operate without state intervention.
The state-run company would work alongside Deutsche Bahn, Flix, Italo, and other interested transport companies to assess which planned connections and routes can be financed through ticket sales. If a line cannot be run profitably based on market demand alone, the initial measure would be to lower the rail levy that railway operators must pay to use the German rail network. If this is insufficient to ensure all planned locations are connected to long-distance services, the federal government would tender these routes, similar to how it manages regional transport.
Gastel projects that this legislation would incur additional costs for the federal government, estimated to be between 200 and 400 million Euros annually.
The Greens’ push is a direct response to the planned 2028 arrival of Italo. Both the Railway Union (EVG) and the long-distance division of Deutsche Bahn have repeatedly warned that medium-sized cities risk losing their ICE connections if regulatory safeguards are not put in place.
Italo intends to deploy its trains primarily between major metropolitan areas-the same routes where Deutsche Bahn generates most of its revenue. There are concerns that if these revenues shift, Deutsche Bahn may lose enough capital to maintain unprofitable lines serving smaller, regional cities.
Regarding these regulatory demands, the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) has so far declined to commit to a stronger regulatory framework. In response to an inquiry from “Die Zeit,” a spokesperson stated that the Ministry will “very carefully examine whether the current market organization continues to meet the challenges associated with a powerful rail passenger transport system with attractive offers for all citizens in various regions of Germany.”
