Overview
- The Bundesnetzagentur has told Deutsche Bahn to allocate a minimum share of long‑distance track capacity to competitors, a rule the regulator says is now in force and that DB is challenging in court.
- Italy’s private operator Italo has announced plans to enter the German long‑distance market from 2028 and has said it may run up to 50 daily services, a development that helped trigger the regulator’s allocation order.
- Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure arm DB InfraGO must redesign timetables to meet the order, but an internal study and recent statements identify likely slot conflicts on heavily used sections such as Augsburg–Ulm and Hochzoll.
- Short‑term capacity is further reduced by major works and local delays — including the Friedberg station delay to mid‑November, a two‑week closure on the Düsseldorf–Köln corridor, and the ongoing Rheintal renovation — complicating practical access for new entrants.
- Political responses aim to protect regional service: the Greens have proposed a federally overseen Fernverkehrs‑GmbH and targeted subsidies to (re)connect about 150 towns at an estimated cost of €200–400 million a year, a step that could reshape how long‑distance routes are planned and funded.