Public transportation - Sigh of relief and anger in the dispute over the 49-euro ticket
The price for the Germany ticket in this year is expected to remain around 49 Euro, bringing relief in Thuringia. "The good news is: The Federal Government has signaled that the price of the Germany ticket can remain stable in this year," said Torsten Weil, State Secretary in the Thuringian Transport Ministry, after a special Transport Ministers' Conference. Before the conference on Monday, a spokesperson for Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) in Berlin had announced that a cabinet decision to amend the Regionalization Law was to be expected in the coming week. The Bund had promised to transfer unused funds from 2023 to 2024. For this, a change in the law is necessary. However, the Transport Ministers of the States are planning for a price increase for the year 2025. It is still unclear how much the ticket will cost.
350 Million Euro could be missing
Weil continued: "The bad news is that the Federal Government is implementing its budget consolidation on the backs of the States." The Federal Government is linking the payment of regionalization funds to the States for the next year to various conditions. "There is a risk that the Federal Government will not pay the States around 350 Million Euro for public transportation." The financial leeway of the States would be even more limited. "A serious mobility transition looks different," Weil criticized.
- Despite the anticipated stability of the Germany ticket in Thuringia, the Transport Ministers of the States are preparing for a potential price increase in 2025, as the exact cost remains uncertain.
- The Railroad in Germany aims to maintain the price of the Germany ticket at around 49 Euro in 2024, following a promise by the Federal Government to transfer unused funds from 2023.
- In Erfurt, local traffic significantly benefits from the expected stable price of the Germany ticket, which was announced at a Transport Ministers' Conference in Berlin.
- The Ministry of Transport in Thuringia expressed concern that the Federal Government might withhold around 350 Million Euro from the States for public transportation, potentially impacting local traffic and the overall railroad system in Thuringia and other parts of Germany.