Italo plans to enter the German market from 2028 with 30 trains, focusing on the Munich-Dortmund and Munich-Hamburg routes. This could impact long-distance rail services in Germany, warns the Railway and Transport Union EVG.
EVG chief Martin Burkert told Bild am Sonntag: “If Italo is allowed to cherry-pick and the railway is pushed off the main lines, it will dismantle our long-distance network.” Deutsche Bahn would then be less able to cross-subsidize long-distance connections away from major cities.
The EVG analysis specifically names 16 cities that could lose their long-distance connections, including Aachen, Augsburg, Bamberg, and Chemnitz. In Trier, an already planned IC link could be scrapped. Burkert sees Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) as responsible. “The transport minister must not simply sit back but must ensure fair competition,” the EVG chairman demanded. He calls for so-called package solutions in route allocation, requiring Italo to also serve lines in the provinces.
Additionally, the German rail network faces another structural problem: more than 90 rail projects could come to a standstill due to a lack of federal funds. This also affects projects of overriding public interest, according to a parliamentary inquiry by the Greens.
Source: Tagesschau
