The European Commission is requesting input from citizens and stakeholders on a planned targeted revision of the Rail Passenger Rights Regulation. The legislation covers the protection of passengers travelling by rail in the EU and grants them several rights linked to travel disruptions during their journey, including the right to reimbursement, re-routing, assistance and compensation.
Originally introduced in 2007 and last revised in 2021, the Regulation has helped achieve a high level of consumer protection for rail transport. Among other things, the 2021 revision obliged rail companies qualifying as a ‘sole undertaking’ to offer ‘through-tickets’, meaning that should passengers miss a connection between rail services covered by this ticket, they are protected.
However, in her Political Guidelines, President von der Leyen highlighted that cross-border train travel is still too difficult for many citizens. She proposed an initiative to ensure that Europeans can buy one single ticket via a single platform and be covered by passenger rights for their entire trip. (....)