Rail passengers should be fully protected no matter where they
travel in the EU. The Commission also wants to guarantee
adequate passenger information and to significantly improve the
rights of passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility. At
the same time, the Commission's proposal is proportionate and
recognises that rail operators can, under strict circumstances,
be exempted from having to compensate passengers in the event
of delay.
Commissioner for Transport
Violeta Bulc said: "Thanks to
the EU passengers have a full set of rights no matter where
they travel in the EU. Yet there are still too
many European train travellers and commuters who aren't
properly informed about their rights. That is what we want to
fix with our new proposal. I am confident that our initiative
will strengthen the sector, striking the right balance between
the protection of travellers and the competitiveness of the
rail sector."
The Commission's proposal updates the existing rules on rail
passenger rights in five key areas:
1. Uniform application of the rules: long
distance domestic and cross-border urban, suburban and regional
services can no longer be exempted from the application of
passenger rights rules. Today, only 5 Member States[1] fully apply
the rules, while others have put in place varying degrees of
exemptions. This significantly deprives passengers from
their rights.
2. Information and non-discrimination:
improved provision of information about passenger rights, e.g.
by printing it on the ticket. Passengers who use connected
services with separate tickets must be informed on whether
their rights apply to the whole journey or only to the
different segments. Discrimination on the basis of nationality
or residence is prohibited.
3. Better rights for persons with disabilities or
reduced mobility: mandatory right to assistance on all
services and full compensation for loss or repair of mobility
equipment. Relevant information has to be given in accessible
formats and rail staff must receive disability awareness
training.
4. Enforcement, complaint-handling procedures and
sanctioning: clear deadlines and procedures for
complaint handling and clear responsibilities and competencies
of national authorities responsible for the application and
enforcement of passenger rights.
5. Proportionality and legal fairness: a
"force majeure" clause will exempt rail companies from having
to pay compensation in the event of delays caused by natural
catastrophes, which they could neither foresee nor prevent.
Under the current rules, rail companies have to pay
compensation even when faced with such events.
Next steps
The Commission's proposal must now be examined and adopted by
the European Parliament and the Council (i.e. the EU Member
States) before entering into force.
The single market for passenger rail transport is currently in
development with the planned introduction of
competition onto domestic markets. A high quality of rail
services and the protection of users' rights are essential to
fulfil the objective to increase the share of rail transport in
comparison to other modes of transport.
Background information
The European Union is the only area in the world where citizens
are protected by a full set of passenger rights – whether they
travel by air, rail, ship, bus and coach. EU legislation
for Rail Passenger
Rights entered into force in December 2009.
Under the European rules, passengers can for instance in some
Member States be entitled to financial compensation if their
train arrives at destination with a delay of 1 hour or more.
Delayed passengers can also entitled to meals and refreshments
(proportionate to the waiting time), and accommodation if they
have to stay overnight.
All information can be found on ‘Your Europe'
website, where applicable passenger rights are translated
in all EU languages. A smartphone app is also available, and
can be downloaded for free for Google
Android, iPhone, iPad,
and Windows Phone.
[1] Belgium,
Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovenia
