Overview
- The Bundesnetzagentur issued a final decision on Friday requiring DB InfraGo to limit allocations so no single operator can take more than 60–75 percent of available long‑distance capacity on heavily used corridors, with the rule to take effect for the 2028 network timetable.
- DB and its infrastructure arm InfraGo say they will review the legal basis of the decision and have not ruled out seeking judicial review, leaving implementation contingent on court outcomes and the regulator’s review of InfraGo’s forthcoming usage‑conditions draft.
- Italo, which formally participated in the procedure, has said it plans to seek service paths from 2028 on profitable routes such as München–Köln–Dortmund and München–Berlin and requires multi‑year path certainty to justify its planned billion‑euro investments.
- Several federal states and the EVG union warn the change could encourage private operators to focus on lucrative city pairs and weaken cross‑subsidies for less profitable regional links, potentially reducing services in smaller cities and rural areas.
- Supporters including the Monopolkommission, Mofair and freight‑rail associations argue the corridor‑specific cap is a narrow way to break DB’s roughly 95 percent market hold in long‑distance travel and could spur lower fares and new services if timetable planning in 2027 and rule drafting in autumn proceed smoothly.