The indicative guidelines (PDF link) were adopted by the Commission on July 3 following an assessment of the implementation of Regulation No. 1371/2007 on rail passenger rights and relevant case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The EC says its review highlighted a need to clarify passenger rights in four key areas. These include:
Passenger information: information about travel, tariffs and tickets must be made available to passengers, including in alternative formats for passengers with reduced mobility.
Delays, cancellations and missed connections: passengers holding separate tickets under a single contract have the same rights as passengers with a single ticket
Rights of passengers with reduced mobility: train operators cannot ask for medical certificates as a precondition for the sale of a ticket, and
Complaint handling, enforcement and cooperation between national authorities: train operators and national authorities must set up adequate complaint handling mechanisms, and operators must reply to complainants within strict timeframes.
The EC is planning to launch an impact assessment in the near future to examine options for the extension of rail passenger rights, as well as options for a legal framework for passengers making multi-modal journeys.
