EU Plans to Boost Rail Passenger Rights but Proposals Will Not Deliver a Huge Increase in International Train Travel

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T&E’s reaction to the EU Passenger Package.

From 2027, rail travellers missing a connection due to a delay will automatically be able to jump on the next train, according to new EU rules proposed today. They will also have food and accommodation paid for if they miss the last train. The new guarantee will give more security to long-distance rail passengers, says T&E, but it will not get more people on trains unless lawmakers make it easier for passengers to book multi-leg cross border trips.

Today, passengers often need to go to multiple websites to get tickets for each leg of a rail journey. To encourage a shift to more sustainable mobility options and meet climate targets, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to make it possible for passengers to book whole trips from a single platform¹. The rules proposed today will not require major rail operators platforms to sell tickets for most multi-leg cross-border trips.

T&E said this risks undermining the very reason for this legislation at a time when the EU should be making it easier for passengers to book low-carbon trips at a time of soaring jet fuel costs. It recommends that major rail operators should be required to sell tickets across all available rail routes that passengers frequently fly or drive².

Georgia Whitaker, Rail Campaign Manager at T&E, said: “Today we saw a huge leap forward for rail passengers rights. However, the Passenger Mobility Package will not reach its full potential and encourage the majority of passengers to rail, since major rail operators are not required to sell tickets across all routes that passengers frequently fly or drive. Now it’s up to the EU Parliament and EU Council to ensure that most of these routes are easily accessible for passengers to book by rail.”

The Passenger Package will require legacy train operators to allow their tickets to be sold by other operators and independent booking platforms. The new rules will also make it mandatory for major operators to sell the tickets of domestic competitors. T&E welcomed this new requirement as most tickets are sold on major operators’ platforms and they get most of the website traffic generated by ticket searches³.

Today’s proposals will also require booking platforms to show greenhouse gas emissions for all modes of transport which will allow passengers to know the climate footprint of their trips.

The Passenger Package will now be debated by the EU Parliament and EU governments before becoming law.

¹ Political guidelines for the Next European Commission 2024–2029.

² The requirement should be limited to routes where there is a clear passenger demand, using sources such as aviation data, and should exclude journeys where there is no rail option.

³ In Germany, the competition watchdog showed that 9 out 10 web visits were done on DB’s website in comparison with other rail booking platforms. In France nearly 9 out 10 digital rail tickets are sold by SNCF Connect.

Article from T&E.