Germany’s regulatory authority in Bonn wants to make it easier for Italian train operator Italo to enter the German passenger rail market. Agency chief Klaus Müller announced on Tuesday that DB subsidiary DB InfraGo must not allocate more than 60 to 75 percent of capacity to a single provider on heavily used sections during annual timetable planning. On corridors with fixed caps – such as the Munich and Frankfurt hubs – at least one competitor of DB Fernverkehr must be able to operate.
“We are strengthening competition in long-distance rail,” Müller said. “For rail customers, competition means better quality and lower prices.” Competitors of DB Fernverkehr such as Italo or Flixtrain have to invest heavily in new rolling stock. However, because legal rules require annual slot allocation, they have so far been unable to reliably estimate whether they will get enough usage rights on the tracks. The allocation of train paths is legally only for one year at a time, which complicates planning certainty.
In principle, however, the travel rights will initially continue to be awarded for only one year, Handelsblatt learned.
Source: www.handelsblatt.com
