Transport ministers adopt price index for Deutschlandticket

The ticket price is to follow a cost index (staff 55%, energy 20%, general costs 25%) into which the subsidies of EUR 1.5 billion each from the federal government and the Länder feed and which is damped from 2028 when volumes grow; the Länder put the additional regionalisation funding needed for 2026–2031 at EUR 14 billion and otherwise threaten train cancellations.

At their conference in Lindau on 25 and 26 March 2026 the Länder transport ministers decided that the Deutschlandticket price will in future follow a cost index that weights staff, energy and general costs at 55:20:25; from 2026 the index is to be published each year by 30 September for the following year, the subsidies of EUR 1.5 billion each from the federal government and the Länder feed in through a value factor, and from 2028 a damping factor limits price rises when passenger volumes grow. The Länder also demand that the federal government permanently raise regionalisation funds (additional need of EUR 14 billion for 2026–2031 according to the federal–state commission, not counting the CJEU ruling or security costs) and fully compensate the extra burden from the CJEU ruling on the track-price cap for 2025 and 2026, otherwise regional trains would have to be cancelled. Further resolutions reject train cuts to relieve the big rail hubs, call for reliable planning of the general overhauls and back a reform of driver training (LOK Report, 26 Mar 2026).