The updated legislation on rail passengers’ rights will
guarantee rerouting and help passengers when there are
delays and cancellations, improve access and assistance to
people with reduced mobility, and help to create more
dedicated spaces for bicycles.
“We reached an important agreement today for the future of
European rail transport. We managed to secure the same
minimal passenger rights all over the EU when it comes to
spaces for bikes, through-tickets and rights of passengers
with reduced mobility. Those are important improvements in
making rail travel more convenient and passenger-friendly,”
said rapporteur Bogusław Liberadzki
(S&D, PL).
Rerouting and assistance in case of significant
delays
If delays of over 100 minutes occur, the rail operators
will be obliged to reroute passengers in any way possible
and assist travellers to find the best alternatives, as is
the case with air carriers.
Under the new rules, rail operators would have to provide
through-ticketing on all their routes, covering all legs of
the journey with a similar high level of protection.
Assisting people with reduced mobility
The deal includes a shorter pre-notification obligation and
better assistance for disabled people. Travellers with
reduced mobility should notify the operator of their travel
plans 24 hours in advance (under current rules, they have
to notify the operator 48 hours in advance).
Refurbishing trains for more bicycles
In an effort to provide more sustainable mobility and
comfortable alternatives, all trains will have to be
equipped with dedicated spaces and racks for bicycles.
The provisional agreement also ends the existing exemptions
for long-distance domestic services by December 2024 and
provides more clarity on what can be considered a force
majeure.
The new passenger rights will cover also regional services
and will include the rerouting obligation,
through-ticketing option and assistance to all passengers,
especially to those with reduced mobility.
Next steps
The Council will adopt its first reading position once both
institutions confirm the provisional agreement. The
Parliament will vote on the agreed text formally in the
second reading.
The agreed rules will enter into force after they are
published in the Official Journal of the EU and become
applicable 24 months later.
Background
The European Commission tabled the proposal to modernise the
European rail passengers’ rights that are in force
since 2009 in September 2017.
Negotiations for the updated passenger rights began in
January 2020.
