The German transport ministry will be extending track access charge (TAC) subsidies until 2028. TACs in Germany stand to grow by 16,2 per cent later this year and into 2025. It remains unclear, however, how large the future subsidies will be.

The German transport ministry says that it “created the legal basis” for the extension of TAC subsidies until late 2028. Moreover, it says that 229 million euros have been secured in rail freight subsidies for 2024.

It is unclear how large the subsidies will be from 2025 onwards. The exact amount remains a subject of budget negotiations. What is known, however, is that TACs will grow by 16,2 per cent in late 2024 and into 2025. By 2026, TACs could increase by 50 per cent, according to German rail freight association Die Güterbahnen. Against that background, the rail freight sector is surely hoping for subsidies to grow accordingly.

“The federal government is keeping a close eye on the development of track access charges and their impact on rail freight transport”, according to Michael Theurer, the German parliamentary state secretary for transport. “Despite limited financial resources, we are therefore continuing to work towards adequate track access charge funding in this segment and are making around 229 million euros available for 2024.”

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