Protection of rail passengers with single tickets

PURPOSE: to lay down measures enabling single-ticket bookings across multiple rail operators, making the rail market more transparent and accessible and improving passenger protection.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: Regulation (EU) 2021/782 of the European Parliament and of the Council aims to ensure that passengers are protected when travelling within the EU. Although Regulation (EU) 2021/782 establishes passenger rights within the EU, travellers who book journeys involving multiple railway companies through a single ticket seller often do not receive full protection if delays or missed connections occur. This can result in disrupted journeys and unforeseen costs for travel, accommodation, or refreshments.

At present, only a limited number of voluntary agreements exist between railway companies to help passengers continue their journeys in such situations. However, these agreements are often non-binding, limited in scope, and not well known to passengers, leading to inconsistent application.

To address these problems, the proposal would extend rights to reimbursement, rerouting, compensation, and assistance to all journeys involving several train services operated by different railway undertakings when sold as a single journey under one ticket. Extending those rights to all trips under a single ticket would enhance passenger welfare and provide comprehensive protection throughout the entire journey, especially in cases of missed connections between services operated by different railway undertakings.

CONTENT: the proposal introduces the following clarifications:

Single ticket

The notion of a single ticket is defined as valid evidence, regardless of its form, of a through-ticket or of the conclusion of two or more transport contracts for a single journey purchased in a single commercial transaction from a railway undertaking, ticket vendor or tour operator. To enable passengers to buy these single tickets, railway undertakings, ticket vendors and tour operators should be prevented from segmenting or selling as separate tickets any journeys they can sell under a single ticket. At the same time, for journeys under a single ticket exceeding 12 hours, the right to compensation should arise only in relation to the delay affecting the specific individual leg (or through-ticket). This should not apply where the journey under the single ticket involves a night train service or where the single ticket only consists of one through-ticket.

Connection times

For journeys involving long-distance or regional rail passenger services under a single ticket, the railway undertaking whose delayed or cancelled or early departed service causes a missed connection with one or more services under that same single ticket will be liable for all relevant disruption occurring during the entire journey if the passenger misses one or more connections. Railway undertakings whose services under a single ticket are missed due to a missed connection will allow the passenger to continue the journey on their next service, subject to the availability of seats.

Where a railway undertaking, ticket vendor or tour operator sells a single ticket for a journey which does not adhere to the minimum connection times and the passenger misses one or more connections:

(a) the railway undertaking will not be liable unless it sold the single ticket and operates at least one of the services under that ticket;

(b) the ticket vendor or tour operator will be liable to pay compensation equivalent to 75 % of the total amount paid for the single ticket and to offer the choice between a reimbursement of the total amount paid for the single ticket or of the necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs for re-routing incurred by the passenger.

Compensation

Without losing the right of transport, a passenger is entitled to compensation for delays from the railway undertaking if he or she is facing a delay between the places of departure and final destination stated in the ticket or single ticket for which the cost has not been reimbursed. The minimum compensation for delays will be as follows:

- 25 % of the ticket price for a delay of 60 to 119 minutes;

- 50 % of the ticket price for a delay of 120 minutes or more.