ALLRAIL: The EU Green Deal needs to make train tickets easier to find and book

Potential passengers need easy access to timetable information and quick access to tickets. Recent legal rulings have shown: The EU and its Member States finally need to make trains easier to find and book for the citizens who are paying for it. 

But how should this be done?

Renfe has committed to providing unrestricted access to its data for independent ticket vendors as well, which are essential for the proper functioning of the EU passenger rail sector. 

• The timetables of all rail options between any two places must be shown at all rail ticket vendors in a non-discriminatory manner, regardless of whether they are incumbent, in-house, or third-party ticket vendors;
• No preferencing, no ‘hiding’ competitors and no restricting the number of changes (which can easily kick out perfectly viable connections);
• Show the total price for the entire journey and sell it at the same ticket vendor (One Stop Shop), even if more than one operator is combined, assuming that Minimum Connection Times have been adhered to.

ALLRAIL President Dr Erich Forster says: “There is no use for a technical standard that restricts the relevant timetable and fare information from being shown at all types of ticket vendor. Instead, EU political stakeholders must make the full range of rail services available to European travellers.”

EPF chair Josef Schneider states: “The standards for ticketing must neutrally support all possible travel combinations that correspond to the destinations and wishes of the potential customer.”

ALLRAIL and EPF call for all passengers to have transparent, comprehensive, and non-discriminatory access to purchasing rail tickets, which is essential to realising the goals of the EU Green Deal.