Several German states plan to file a lawsuit against the federal government due to increasing track fees. Saarland’s Transport Minister, Petra Berg (SPD), confirmed to the “Rheinische Post” (Thursday edition) that the complaint is being prepared and will be submitted to the Administrative Court in Cologne in the coming days. She also highlighted the lack of communication from Berlin regarding a concept for reforming the track pricing.
The state transport ministers initially threatened the federal government in early August with legal action if they failed to provide full financial compensation for the rising track fees. Berg stated that two states would directly support the lawsuit filed by the railway transport companies, while all states would provide financial support based on an agreement reached during the Transport Ministers Conference.
The aim of the lawsuit is to prevent additional burdens totaling several hundred million euros. If these costs are not managed, the states would otherwise be forced to cancel train connections, and in some areas, this has already occurred.
Berg warned that this situation also has serious consequences for the Deutschlandticket (national transport ticket). She declared that “people have the Deutschlandticket in their pockets, but no train runs on the tracks. That would be a declaration of bankruptcy.”
