The European Commission has proposed new rules aimed at making rail travel across Europe easier to plan, book and complete, particularly on journeys involving different operators or more than one country.
Under the proposals, passengers would be able to search, compare and buy services from different rail companies through a single transaction on a ticketing platform of their choice. The ticket could be purchased either through an independent platform or through a rail operator’s own booking service.
The aim is to reduce the current fragmentation of Europe’s rail ticketing system, where passengers often have to buy separate tickets from different companies or websites for a single cross-border journey. The Commission says this can make travel planning difficult and can weaken passenger protection when a delay causes a missed connection.
Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas said the package covers multimodal bookings, rail ticketing and passenger rights, with the aim of removing barriers to regional, long-distance and cross-border rail travel.
According to the Commission, passengers travelling with a single ticket on a journey involving more than one operator would benefit from full passenger rights if a connection is missed. These would include assistance, rerouting, reimbursement and compensation for the journey.
Ticketing platforms and rail operators would also face new obligations to ensure fair access to ticket sales and neutral presentation of travel options. Platforms would have to display offers fairly, including, where possible, by greenhouse gas emissions, rather than favouring specific operators.
The proposals will now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU under the ordinary legislative procedure. The Commission says member states must also accelerate the implementation of rules on sharing multimodal transport data through national access points.
Source: ERT
