“To ensure supplies, energy transport will temporarily be given priority over rail,” it said after a cabinet meeting. “This is not an easy decision because it means that, in case of crowds, other trains will have to wait,” said Transport Minister Volker Wissing. “The railway is already being used to the maximum, so if additional energy transports are needed, we will give that priority.”
In general, the priority on the German railway network is the transport of passengers and the timetables have been adjusted accordingly. Germany has been plunged into an energy crisis as Russia continues to cut gas supplies to the country since its invasion of Ukraine in February. In response to Western sanctions, Russian state gas company Gazprom has cut gas supply through the major Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20 percent of capacity. The German government also takes into account that Moscow will turn off the gas tap completely.
The energy crisis has already led to high inflation in Germany and the country is on the brink of recession.