The new German rail strategy leaves freight mostly in the dark
Author: Dennis van der Laan
24.09.2025 | On Monday 22 September, German transport minister Patrick Schnieder presented a long-awaited strategy for the country’s troubled rail sector. The strategy touched upon many issues, but left the specifics open to interpretation. German rail freight has become little wiser.
Monday seems to have been a good day for passenger rail in Germany. Following the presentation of Minister Schieder’s strategy, rail associations sounded optimistic about the announced plans. “It’s good news for all rail travelers in Germany that today, for the first time in 30 years, we have in black and white the federal government’s strategic cornerstones for rail transport in Germany”, said Dirk Flege, managing director of rail association Allianz pro-Schiene.
When it comes to rail freight, key issues addressed in the strategy include track access charges (TAC) reform, a plan for single wagonload traffic and a further separation of DB InfraGO from the Deutsche Bahn Group.
A more independent DB InfraGO
When it comes to the latter, there are some cautious positive reactions to Schnieder’s plans for DB InfraGO. “We believe that the abolition of the infrastructure department on the Group Executive Board fulfills one of our central requirements”, private rail freight association Die Güterbahnen stated following the strategy presentation.
The measure would reduce the influence of the broader DB Group in infrastructure management issues “A big step forward”, Die Güterbahnen says, although it does not eliminate all forms of mingling by the Group. “There are other ways to exert influence, for example through infrastructure officers in the DB Group, but the board of directors has certainly been the most influential body to date”, the association says.
The positivity continues when looking at the announcement for a TAC reform by 1 January 2027. “This is very helpful for us in terms of specifics, and we now need to move quickly to implement it.” How such a TAC reform will look in practice however, the strategy does not specify.
Focus on passengers
Those were, in essence, the good parts for rail freight. Overall, the strategy is still very much centered around passenger traffic, and specifics for rail freight are severely lacking. “Some things sound very progressive, but overall, the strategy is simplistic in its current form”, write passenger rail competition association mofair and Die Güterbahnen in a joint statement.
“It contains no concrete transport targets and hardly any measurable figures. The framework provided by the federal government remains vague, and the changes to the management concept are far too weak to bring about a turnaround at DB”, they add.
To the disappointment of the rail freight sector, competitors in the branch are not at all mentioned in Schieder’s plans. The only competition issue brought up is non-discriminatory access to the rail network, which is not much of a problem today, says Die Güterbahnen. “Network access is largely fair.”
The strategy’s short comment on single wagonload traffic – the future of which will be highly impactful on rail freight in Germany – also leaves much to be desired. Schnieder wants to “examine the transformation of single-wagon transport combined with a hub system.” Die Güterbahnen says that it is unable to comment on what a hub-based single wagonload system would mean.
Where is the money going?
The rail freight association would have liked to see more tangible steps to improve infrastructure spending transparency: “At the moment, we are seeing a lot of money being spent on renovations, for example, and project costs often skyrocketing. However, it is practically impossible for outsiders to find out why this is happening and where the money is going.”
In conclusion, the strategy does not offer much to freight. “We see the one-sided focus on passenger transport and the virtually insignificant consideration of rail freight transport as a warning sign that the focus is on popular issues without considering rail transport as a whole”, says Die Güterbahnen.
Part of the German plan is to establish a task force. In the absence of tangible freight plans, perhaps this new body could provide an opportunity for freight to claim what it needs in the coming years.