The head of German state railways Deutsche Bahn said on Monday that there will be no cuts in long-distance passenger transport in 2025.
“Our plans for the 2025 timetable, which were finalised in April, do not provide for any cuts,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz wrote in a letter obtained by dpa and addressed to members of parliament from the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) in eastern Germany.
His comments come after media reports of possible cuts, including reductions in services and the cancellation of certain routes, caused an outcry among German politicians and sections of the public, particularly in eastern Germany, where the cuts are said to have hit hardest.
“We want to operate the full timetable in 2025,” a Deutsche Bahn spokeswoman confirmed to dpa.
In the letter, Lutz expressed understanding for the uncertainty among lawmakers following last week’s media reports, including a story in the newspaper Der Spiegel.
“Contrary to what Der Spiegel claims, we currently have no plans or decisions to cancel the long-distance connections mentioned,” Lutz wrote.
Last week, Der Spiegel reported on a list of long-distance connections that could be thinned out or cancelled, referring to a letter that Deutsche Bahn sent to the supervisors of the Bundesnetzagentur in early February.
The letter reported rising costs as a result of a significant increase in track access charges levied by DB Infrago, Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure subsidiary, to all users of the rail infrastructure.
In his explanation to lawmakers, Lutz said the February letter was an explanation of the potential impact of higher fares on Deutsche Bahn’s passenger rail services, but that it was not a plan for cuts in eastern Germany.
