LINEAS has confirmed that it will apply a dynamic energy surcharge to all its transport from April 1 to compensate for rising energy prices.
The company claims that while this is common practice for other modes of transport, theirs is the first rail company to implement the measure.
Lineas says that at EEX, Europe’s leading energy market, the spot price per megawatt hour has more than tripled compared with average prices in 2021. The price of diesel is also significantly more expensive.
Lineas says that the economic hardship has reached a level it can no longer absorb and that to ensure a sustainable rail freight offer, the company will pass on energy costs.
“We cannot continue to be the only mode of transport that doesn’t pass on the rising energy costs,” says Mr Lars Redeligx. “This is surely true for privately owned businesses like us, but even for state-owned competitors, the solution cannot be that the taxpayer has to cover their rising bill.”
The surcharge is applied on top of transport revenues and will be adapted on a monthly basis, based on changes in energy prices and considering possible energy consumption by national authorities. The surcharge differs between domestic and international transport to account for variations in how energy is charged to railway undertakings in different markets.
Lineas says that the current spot price is €300 per megawatt hour, and that the surcharge will range from 3.5% in the Netherlands to 8.1% in Germany.
