The German industry is sounding the alarm over new costs from increases in rail track prices for freight transport. Starting in 2026, these prices are set to rise by 7.5 percent, causing millions in additional expenses for companies like BASF. Critics fear offshoring and higher emissions from a shift to trucks.
The German government aims to relieve companies through lower energy prices but faces criticism over transport costs. The track price, a toll for using rail infrastructure, is set to increase by 7.5 percent to about four euros per kilometer on January 1, 2026—following a 16.2 percent rise at the start of the year. These costs are passed on by Deutsche Bahn and competitors to industrial customers.
At a Bundestag hearing in mid-October, BASF's Gudrun Grunenberg calculated: For the route from the Schwarzheide site to Ludwigshafen (640 kilometers), annual additional costs amount to 400,000 euros, totaling a two-digit million figure for the company. For the entire German industry, the extra costs exceed 200 million euros.
Major companies in automotive, chemicals, and steel sectors, along with rail operators, are protesting. Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) is drafting a law to mitigate the burden, but industry representatives deem it insufficient—nearly 200 million euros in extra costs remain. Demands to expand track price subsidies failed in the 2025 budget due to opposition from Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD).
The 2026 budget draft raises concerns: It anticipates 350 million euros in revenues from investments, likely dividends from DB InfraGO derived from track prices. Peter Westenberg of the »Die Güterbahnen« association criticized: »This approach feels like the federal government rewarding itself for making rail more expensive.«
Sabine Nallinger of KlimaWirtschaft Foundation warned: »The track price increase particularly hurts companies competing internationally that have committed long-term to rail.« Without increased subsidies, offshoring looms, along with a return to road transport that would raise emissions. The Federal Network Agency suggests prices could climb to five euros.