EVG warns of disconnection: Italo's entry could cut 16 cities off from long-distance rail

Threatened consequences for 16 cities

The EVG chairman is demanding package solutions for route allocation that would obligate Italo to also serve rail lines in the provinces: "Wer auf den Hauptstrecken ordentlich Kasse machen will, darf sich nicht zu fein sein, um Städte wie Schwerin, Augsburg oder Jena anzufahren." Specifically, he is demanding that the federal government attach conditions regarding regional connectivity when awarding new track slots.

Burkert sees Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) as having a duty: "Der Verkehrsminister darf nicht einfach die Hände in den Schoß legen, sondern muss den Wettbewerb fair gestalten." Policymakers must prevent competitors from focusing on the most lucrative routes while basic service across the regions collapses.

Demand for political steering

The state-owned rail group shares this concern. The Bahn chief said that unchecked competition could ultimately have negative effects for the majority. She is demanding better framework conditions to keep long-distance rail as a whole stable.

The concern is not new: Deutsche Bahn's long-distance chief, Michael Peterson, had already spoken in the "Tagesspiegel" of around 120 potentially affected stations. With its list, the EVG is now naming 16 specific cities where an Italo market entry would have a massive impact on long-distance services.

Bahn and federal states see need for action

Burkert also warned in the newspaper interview of a deterioration in travel chains: "Städte werden abgehängt, Wege werden länger", he said. Customers would then have to commute by slow regional trains to a long-distance rail station in the future, which would affect commuters and business travelers alike.

Pressure is also coming from the federal states. Bavaria's Transport Minister Bernreiter said in Munich: "Dem Fernverkehr muss auferlegt werden, dass die Regionen in der Fläche angebunden sind." Not only Bavaria is committed to this, but all states stand behind it. At the same time, he opposed expanding track slots at the expense of local rail services: "Ich kämpfe dafür, dass keine neuen Trassen vergeben werden, solange es so viele Baustellen im Netz gibt, schon gar nicht zulasten des Schienenpersonennahverkehrs", Bernreiter said.

Italo's market entry from 2028

Italo belongs to an Italian mobility group and has for years been one of the largest private long-distance rail providers in Italy. Its market entry in Germany from 2028 would be its first major step into a foreign market. Observers see the move as a sign of intensifying competition on European rail, which without a political framework could have undesirable side effects.

The EVG wants to put the issue on the agenda of the upcoming federal-state consultations on rail reform and the awarding of long-distance rail concessions. Until then, it remains unclear whether the federal government will tie market access to conditions on regional connectivity. From the union's perspective, one thing is clear: without intervention by the Federal Transport Minister, long-distance rail risks becoming a service that no longer reaches many provincial hubs.