Italo's German Debut Could Cut 16 Cities Off Long-Distance Trains

The German Railway and Transport Union (EVG) is warning of a deterioration in long-distance rail services in Germany due to the acquisition by the Italian rail company Italo. At least 16 cities are threatened with being cut off from ICE and IC services. - AFP

Germany's Railway and Transport Union (EVG) has issued a stark warning over the potential consequences of Italian rail company Italo entering the German long-distance rail market. According to an EVG analysis reported by Bild am Sonntag, at least 16 cities face being cut off from ICE and intercity (IC) services if Italo is allowed to operate on Germany's most profitable routes without restrictions.

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Profitable Routes, Peripheral Losses

Italo has announced plans to launch operations in Germany by 2028, deploying a fleet of 30 trains on high-demand corridors including Munich–Dortmund and Munich–Hamburg. EVG chairman Martin Burkert warned that allowing Italo to cherry-pick these lucrative routes could undermine the structural funding model Deutsche Bahn relies on to cross-subsidise less commercially viable connections.

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"If Italo is allowed to cherry-pick here and the railway is pushed off the main routes, it will tear our long-distance network apart," Burkert told Bild am Sonntag. Deutsche Bahn would then be less able to cross-subsidise long-distance connections in peripheral areas. "Cities will be left behind, journeys will get longer," he warned. Passengers in those regions would then be forced to commute to a long-distance rail hub by slower regional trains.

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Sixteen Cities at Risk

The EVG analysis identifies the following cities as facing significant impacts on long-distance services in the event of an Italo market entry: Aachen, Augsburg, Bamberg, Chemnitz, Cottbus, Freiburg, Ingolstadt, Jena, Magdeburg, Münster, Norddeich Mole, Osnabrück, Rostock, Saarbrücken, Schwerin, and Singen. In Trier, a planned IC connection would be dropped altogether, according to the analysis.

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EVG Demands Bundled Route Obligations

Burkert is calling on Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) to step in and shape the competitive framework. "The transport minister cannot simply sit on his hands, he must ensure competition is fair," he said. The EVG chairman is demanding bundled solutions in route allocation, under which Italo would be required to also serve lines in peripheral regions: "Anyone who wants to make serious money on the main routes cannot be too proud to stop at cities like Schwerin, Augsburg, or Jena."

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