Land Transportation Rail Passenger Rights to Improve for Travelers in Europe by GTP editing team 5 October 2020 written by GTP editing team 5 October 2020 0 comments Share 0FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 15 Photo source: European Parliament A provisional political agreement has been reached between European Parliament and Council negotiators on stronger rights for passengers travelling by train. The revised rules are expected to improve the rights of passengers, in particular of those with disabilities or reduced mobility; guarantee rerouting; help passengers when there are delays and cancellations; and help to create more dedicated spaces for bicycles. According to an announcement, the agreed text includes: 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. Assisting people with reduced mobility Photo source: European Parliament 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. Moreover, 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. ( A through-ticket is a single ticket which is valid for all or a number of successive train connections in a journey and safeguards the rights to re-routing and compensation in case of delays or missed connections.) The agreed text also introduces a force majeure clause for rail companies so that they are not obliged, in exceptional circumstances, to pay compensation. According to the negotiators, this will help ensure that there is a level playing field between transport providers representing different modes of transport. The provisional agreement for improved rail passenger rights in Europe is subject to approval by the Council. Join the 15,000+ travel executives who read our newsletter Follow GTP Headlines on Google News to keep up to date with all the latest on tourism and travel in Greece. Share 0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail GTP editing team This is the team byline for GTP. The copyrights for these articles are owned by GTP. They may not be redistributed without the permission of the owner. previous post Athens Airport: Int’l Passenger Traffic Down by 72.3% in September next post Greece to Ban Single-use Plastics by 2021 You may also like Greece’s Hotel Market Sees Major Investments Over Four Months 5 February 2025 Greek Tourism Ministry Monitors Santorini Situation as Seismic Activity Continues 5 February 2025 Global Air Passenger Demand Reaches Record High in 2024, IATA Reports 5 February 2025 Greek PM Reassures Public About Santorini’s Ongoing Seismic Activity 5 February 2025 Milos: Ministry Suspends 5-star Hotel Construction Near Sarakiniko Beach 5 February 2025 ELIME and HELMEPA Join Forces for Safer, More Sustainable Greek Ports 5 February 2025 Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ