Station pricing system

The station price system (SPS) regulates the fees that railway companies (EVU) pay to railway infrastructure companies (EIU) for the use of their platforms and stops , similar to how ships pay mooring fees in ports or airlines pay airport fees.

DB Station & Service

A prerequisite for the use of a train station or a stop of the Deutsche Bahn is a valid station usage contract with which DB Station & Service AG grants the railway companies a right to use the infrastructure.

In 2012, Deutsche Bahn recorded 146.2 million station stops. Of this, 119.8 million were accounted for by DB's own railway companies and 24.7 million by railways outside the group. In 2010, rail transport companies in Germany paid station fees of 0.7 billion euros. According to information from 2015, station fees accounted for 70 percent of sales and 30 percent of the profit of DB Station & Service. Around 88 percent of the revenues are attributable to local rail transport (as of 2016).

Systematics

The station price system 2011 (SPS 11) of DB Station & Service AG came into force on January 1, 2011. The stations are divided into seven categories. The SPS 11 replaced the previously valid SPS 05.

Other factors in pricing are traffic parameters, such as train and passenger numbers, infrastructure features (e.g. number of platform edges) and staffing levels. In contrast to earlier price systems, these factors are formed mathematically and the station category is derived from them. This means that the allocation has changed at some stations compared to the previous price system.

In the future, the regional allocation will be based on 28 public authorities instead of the previous federal states. This means that a total of 196 prices can be formed instead of the previous 96.

history

Station price system 1999

In 1999, Deutsche Bahn introduced a station price system with around 5400 individual prices. The prices were based on the number of train stops and the costs of the respective station.

Station price system 2005

On January 1, 2005, a new regulation came into force in the form of the station price system 2005 (SPS 05), which provided for a categorization with 96 prices. The associated prices were developed according to the "country-specific infrastructure requirements and funding modalities". The company announced the introduction of the new system at the end of December 2004.

Within the framework of the system, all train stations and stops of the Deutsche Bahn in passenger traffic were assigned to six station categories and 16 country-specific prices (16 federal states times six categories). In addition, there were two train length factors: for a train length of up to 180 m the factor is 1, from 180 m the factor 2 is used.

At the time of its introduction, the prices in the highest category “long-distance hubs” (station category 1), depending on the federal state, were between 13.96 and 31.10 euros per train stop ( traffic stop ). For the most common category “local transport stop” (3225 stations) the price was between 1.25 and 3.44 euros per stop. The transport authorities criticized the fact that stations used by private railways in particular had become more expensive due to the new system.

By decision of December 10, 2009, the Federal Network Agency declared the current station price list to be invalid. On May 1, 2010, it also declared DB's station price system to be invalid. Deutsche Bahn filed a lawsuit to ensure that the system remained in effect temporarily. In mid-September 2010, Deutsche Bahn AG announced the introduction of a new station pricing system on January 1, 2011.

Station price system 2011

On January 1, 2011, the station price system 2011 (SPS 11) came into force.

The calculation of the price per traffic stop have been changed here. A categorization of the train stations and a cost calculation for each agency are now used as the basis for calculation. First, there is a classification based on the factors number of platform edges, longest platform length, passengers per day, train stops per day, personal service and technical level freedom. The levels determined from these points are weighted and added up to a so-called basic category number . This number is used to categorize station categories 1–7. Based on this classification, the costs and train stops for stations of the same category are cumulated at the level of the transport authority . The averaged station prices per station category and transport authority are derived from these figures. With 28 transport authorities and 7 station categories, this results in 196 different station prices. This price is then multiplied by the train length factor for each train stop. This is 1 for trains up to 90 meters long, 1.2 for trains between 90.01 meters and 170 meters and 3 for trains with a length of 170.01 meters or more.

Further development

When the timetable changed in December 2011, station prices rose by an average of 3.4 percent, according to information from Deutsche Bahn. The average revenue per station stop rose by around 14 percent between 2005 and 2010. In the same period, general inflation was eight percent, while the producer price index rose by ten percent.

On September 3, 2012, Deutsche Bahn announced changes to the station pricing system that will come into effect on January 1, 2013. Building on the structure of the station pricing system 2011, the train length factor is to be replaced by a traffic performance factor which instead of the train length only differentiates between long-distance and regional traffic. The changes were agreed in advance with the Federal Network Agency and are a transitional solution for 2013 and 2014. The traffic performance factor is to be recalculated with effect from 2015 using a "transparent method".

outlook

In its coalition agreement in 2009, the federal government agreed to introduce incentive regulations for train path and station prices. The amendment of the railway regulation law is (status: October 2011) according to the Federal Government in work. With the Railway Regulation Act passed in July 2016, the development of station prices is linked to that of regionalization funds. According to its own information, DB Station & Service intends to align the price development with this regulation. In the future, investments from own resources to expand or improve the system inventory and increase performance should be avoided as a matter of principle, unless a deviation agreement is concluded with local authorities. The previous double control by courts will be replaced by approval of the prices by the Federal Network Agency. As a result of the law, a price cap will also be introduced.

In 2018 station prices are expected to rise by 1.8 percent.

The Federal Network Agency is examining (as of May 2012) the extent to which compensation is appropriate in the event of defects in guaranteed equipment and service components. In the 2010/2011 timetable year, DB Station & Service said it granted discounts of more than 50,000 euros due to such deficiencies.

criticism

The BAG-SPNV considers the pricing and categorization to be still non-transparent and the price level to be too high. In a survey of railway companies by the Federal Network Agency , the RUs were particularly dissatisfied with the price-performance ratio for station stops and saw the lowest level of freedom from discrimination of all railway infrastructure price systems.

The Federal Network Agency demands (as of December 2011) additional skills in order to be able to ensure more competition. If the authority has so far only been able to intervene in the event of a specific suspicion of abuse, it is necessary for an effective control to gain insight into documents that are necessary for checking the conditions of use, regardless of specific incidents.

Critics criticize the change in the limit value of the train length factor, which was reduced from 180 to 170 in September 2010. The 178 m long trains of the Hamburg-Cologne-Express would be deliberately disadvantaged. The Federal Network Agency is investigating these allegations (as of February 2012). According to DB information, the talks between the company and the Federal Network Agency are ongoing (as of May 2012). Accordingly, the authority would like a train length surcharge according to market capacity . However, there was still no reliable scientific basis for this.

Public transport authorities in local and regional transport criticize the growing share of train path and station charges in operating costs. Since the regionalization funds would not keep pace with these increases, the percentage of train path and station fees in the available budget is growing continuously.

In terms of prices, a distinction is made between local rail transport and long-distance rail passenger transport (SPFV). It can sometimes happen that the price for the long-distance passenger transport for stations of the actually lower categories 6 and 7 is higher than for stations of category 5. This can be explained by the fact that such stations are often only served by the long-distance passenger rail transport in exceptional cases.

See also

• Route usage right
• Train path pricing system (TPS)
• System price system (APS)

Web links

• Current station price system of DB Station & Service AG

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Deutsche Bahn AG (Ed.): Annual Report 2012 (=  Annual Report . Volume 2012 ). 2012, ZDB -ID 2117244-4 , p. 86 ( PDF file, 19 MB ( memento of October 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive )). Annual Report 2012 ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ ^{a b c} German Bundestag (ed.): Activity report 2010 of the Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railways for the railways sector in accordance with Section 14b of the General Railway Act and statement by the Federal Government (PDF; 1.5 MB). Printed matter 17/8525 of January 30, 2012, pp. 22, 24 f.
3. ↑ Kerstin Schwenn: Our train station should be more beautiful . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . June 15, 2015, ISSN  0174-4909 , p. 19 ( online ).
4. ↑ ^{a b} New legal framework: Railway Regulation Act . In: StationsAnzeiger . No. 17 , August 2016, p. 5 ( PDF file ( memento of September 18, 2016 in the Internet Archive )). New legal framework: Railway Regulation Act ( Memento of the original of September 18, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Introduction of the new station pricing system . In: Stationsanzeiger , Edition 2/2010 ( PDF file ( Memento from May 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), 0.6 MB), p. 2 f.
6. ↑ ^{a b} The station price system . In: DB Station & Service AG (Ed.): StationsAnzeiger , Issue 4/2011, p. 4 ( PDF file ( Memento from August 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive )).
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Message new station prices . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 3/2005, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 102.
8. ↑ ^{a b} Deutsche Bahn AG (Ed.): New station price system presented . Press release from September 17, 2010.
9. ↑ DB Station & Service: The station price system 2011 - "SPS 11"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) (PDF; 814 kB), December 2010.
10. ↑ Current station price system also in force in 2012 . In: DB Station & Service (Ed.): StationsAnzeiger . P. 3. ( PDF file  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )), p. 3.
11. ^ Deutsche Bahn AG (Ed.): Deutsche Bahn and the Federal Network Agency come to an agreement on the further development of the station price system . Press release from September 3, 2012.
12. ↑ German Bundestag (ed.): Answer of the federal government to the small question of the members of parliament Uwe Beckmeyer, Sören Bartol, Martin Burkert, another member and the parliamentary group of the SPD - printed matter 17/7080 - implementation of the coalition agreement - mid-term review of the federal government in the field of transport, Construction and urban development (PDF; 258 kB). Printed matter 17/7296 of October 12, 2011, p. 12.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Railway Regulation Act: Implementation of new fee regulations . In: StationsAnzeiger . No. April 19 , 2017, p. 4 .
14. ↑ Incentive system put to the test . In: StationsAnzeiger , issue 6, May 2012 ( PDF file  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ), 0.6 MB), p. 3.
15. ↑ Federal Working Group on Local Rail Transport (publisher): DB station price system still non-transparent! . Press release from September 20, 2010.
16. ^ Daniela Kuhr: Network agency wedges against Deutsche Bahn . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , November 29, 2011, p. 17.
17. ↑ Christian Schlesinger, Max Härder, Silke Wettach: In the pliers . In: Wirtschaftswoche , No. 6/2012, February 6, 2012, pp. 54–57 (similar version online ).
18. ↑ Current information on the station pricing system . In: StationsAnzeiger , issue 6, May 2012 ( PDF file  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ), 0.6 MB), p. 3.
19. ↑ Rising infrastructure charges endanger rail services . In: Bahnland Bayern News , ZDB -ID 2630979-8 , No. 3/2011, pp. 1-3.
20. ↑ Verkehrsverbund Rhein / Ruhr (Ed.): Rising infrastructure charges are a burden on local rail transport  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ). Press release from February 24, 2012.