CER publishes fourth progress report on Ticketing Roadmap

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) has announced that it has published its fourth progress report on the implementation of its Ticketing Roadmap, first introduced in Autumn 2021. The Roadmap outlines the rail sector’s vision for improving ticketing and distribution by 2025 and 2030, aiming to enhance the passenger experience within the Single European Railway Area and support the EU’s climate and growth objectives.

Key milestones include the expansion of the CIT Agreement on Journey Continuation, now covering over 90% of CER members’ traffic, and the growing adoption of the eTCD system, which centralises ticket management and protects passengers during their journeys. Additionally, the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM), a standard for ticket distribution, has successfully been implemented nationwide in Sweden, marking a significant advancement in the project. OSDM ensures compatibility with other standards, such as NeTEx for timetables, and is expected to benefit ticket retailers and distributors by streamlining processes.

According to the report, CER conducted a biannual survey between April and May 2024 to assess progress, with the findings endorsed by the CER General Assembly on 23 September 2024. The report highlights ongoing efforts to meet the Roadmap’s 2025 goals, including the development of a real-time information platform set to launch by early 2025. This platform will improve passengers’ access to real-time data across Europe’s rail network by facilitating better data sharing among railways and third-party systems.

However, certain challenges remain, particularly in extending booking horizons and harmonising ticketing conditions. CER members have made strides by entering bilateral agreements with partner railways to improve the customer experience and share commercial risks. More focus will be needed on these areas to achieve full implementation.

Looking ahead, the survey also explored railways’ multimodality capabilities and objectives for the Roadmap’s 2030 horizon. Findings indicated varying progress on multimodal timetable information and bookability of multimodal journeys, which will shape the next phase of the Roadmap from 2026 to 2030.

CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola said: “Full and timely implementation of the CER Ticketing Roadmap remains a top priority for CER members, as reaffirmed at the recent CER General Assembly. To enhance international rail ticketing, we once again urge the European Commission to integrate OSDM into the TSI TA Regulation (Technical Specification for Interoperability, Telematics Applications). This revision should not be finalised without ensuring that ongoing sector investments are protected.”