Deutschlandticket price should be cut by 30% amid oil crisis, says EVG

The German Railway and Transport Union (EVG) has suggested that the price of the Deutschlandticket and Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance train tickets be reduced to cushion the blow of the international energy crisis.

EVG calls for cheaper German train tickets

Speaking to Bild am Sonntag, EVG boss Martin Buckert has called on the German government to subsidise train tickets amid rising energy prices. 

Buckert said reducing the cost of the Deutschlandticket by 30 percent and the cost of tickets for long-distance trains by 50 percent would bring residents tangible relief.

“Instead of letting the oil companies lead them by the nose, politicians must make use of the state-owned company Deutsche Bahn, alongside an excess profits tax,” Buckert told the tabloid.

In a press release on Tuesday, the German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) criticised Buckert’s suggestion, saying that “populist calls for discounts at the expense of railway workers [would] not solve the crisis.”

The GDL said Buckert did not specify where the extra funding would come from and that discounts would only place additional strain on an already overburdened rail system.

“Our colleagues are already working at their limits today. More passengers without more staff, without more infrastructure and without sustainable funding simply means more pressure, more conflicts and less stability. That helps neither the employees nor the passengers.”

The union accused Buckert of boosting his own profile and chasing short-term headlines, stressing that the focus should instead be placed on “the expansion of infrastructure, a sustainable improvement in staffing levels, and financially viable long-term funding plans.”

Energy prices break records over Easter weekend

Despite a new government regulation limiting fuel stations to raising prices only once per day, which took effect on April 1, fuel prices reached new peaks over the Easter weekend in Germany.

The cost of diesel rose for four consecutive days, reaching 2.440 euros per litre on Easter Sunday. On the same day, the cost of petrol averaged 2.191 euros per litre, a record for 2026 so far. The cost of Super E10 remains slightly below a record high set shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.

Over the weekend, Economy Minister Katharina Reiche (CDU) rejected proposals to introduce a temporary speed limit on the Autobahn to reduce energy consumption and instead floated temporarily increasing the commuter allowance (Pendlerpauschal). “This would provide targeted relief for those who rely on their cars,” Reiche said.