21.5.2024
Dear Customers,
With regard to Newsletter No. 03/2024 of 19 January 2024 and Newsletter No. 07/2024 of 1 February 2024, we would like to inform you of further developments regarding prices and the policy of the European Union Member States on financing for the use of rail transport infrastructure.
Unfortunately, we have to confirm that, following the example of the Federal Government of Germany, other EU countries are announcing aid cuts and a related increase in Track Access Charges (TAC). We currently have information about planned TAC increases in Sweden by 40%, Hungary by 17.6%, Germany by 16% and Portugal by 8%. These data point to a widening trend of increasing prices for the use of railway infrastructure across the European Union.
We have already informed you about the TAC increase in Germany in the newsletters mentioned above. Allow us to inform you in more detail about the TAC price increase in Hungary.
The Hungarian Ministry of Transport and Construction has issued Addendum No.3 to File No. 1082-5/2024/VIF, which regulates the charges for the period 2024/2025 as follows:
- from 01/09/2024 + 14.5%
- from 15/12/2024 + 3.1%
As these additional costs were not anticipated when calculating prices for 2024, we regret to say that we will also have to take this increase into account by introducing a surcharge, as we are unable to absorb such costs.
We will inform you about the amount of the surcharge in the coming weeks.
In order to reduce the negative impact on the final price of rail transport, METRANS negotiates and debates with the relevant state authorities under the auspices of railway associations of which it is a member within the European Union.
This unfortunate policy of the states of the European Union puts rail freight transport at an increasingly competitive disadvantage compared to other modes of transport that we are forced to face.
We greatly value our mutual cooperation.
METRANS Team
