Germany: Bundesnetzagentur Cuts Long-Distance and Freight Rail Tolls, Raises Regional Fares After ECJ Ruling

Germany's Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) said on 22 July 2026 that it revoked its December 2025 approval of 2026 train path charges for infrastructure managers DB InfraGO AG and DB RegioNetz Infrastruktur (RNI) GmbH and approved new tolls, following a European Court of Justice ruling.

The ECJ ruled on 19 March 2026 that Germany's statutory cap on annual track-price increases for regional and local passenger transport, set out in the Rail Regulation Act (ERegG), did not comply with EU law. The Bundesnetzagentur said the cap had been applied independent of DB InfraGO's actual cost development, meaning long-distance and freight services had absorbed cost increases that should have fallen on regional transport.

Under the new approval, DB InfraGO's tolls rise 9% for regional and local passenger transport while falling 17% for long-distance passenger transport and 12% for freight. At DB RNI, regional and local tolls rise 11%, long-distance tolls fall 18% and freight tolls fall 14%. The Bundesnetzagentur said the change shifts about €400 million in costs from long-distance and freight traffic onto regional and local passenger transport.

The agency said billing adjustments between train operators and the two infrastructure managers will now be settled directly, and that a separate decision on 2025 track price charges is still pending later in 2026.