Image: DPA
Anyone who books a train trip across several countries today will quickly come up against limitations. If you miss a connection, there is also the risk of being stranded. This should end. The EU wants to simplify international rail travel. Also for Switzerland.
May 13, 2026, 7:01 p.mMay 13, 2026, 7:03 p.m
Remo Hess, Brussels / ch media
From Zurich by train to Paris, Berlin or Milan? No problem. You can easily book the international connection in the SBB app. It doesn’t matter that you end up sitting on the French TGV or a Deutsche Bahn ICE train later.
However, as soon as the trip becomes a little more complex and leads through several countries, things can quickly become complicated. The SBB app may not get you anywhere. Instead, travelers have to buy tickets individually via the portals of the respective railway companies. For many people, this is too complicated – not just in Switzerland, but throughout Europe.
The EU wants to remedy the situation and make traveling by train across Europe noticeably easier. “One trip, one ticket, full rights” is the proposed law presented by the Brussels authorities on Wednesday. International bookings should become easier, more transparent and therefore more attractive.
No more booking confusion – more rights for travelers
In the future, international tickets will be bookable seamlessly via a single platform. Train companies would also make their tickets available online comparison services, as is common practice in air travel. Passenger rights are also protected. Anyone who misses a cross-border connecting train does not always have the right to get on the next train. The reason: Ticket purchases from different providers are legally considered to be several individual contracts. Passenger rights essentially end between individual train journeys. If you miss a connection, a new booking may be necessary. In the worst case scenario, the traveler may even end up stranded somewhere and have to pay for their own hotel accommodation. The EU wants to change that.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.Image: keystone
“Our proposal will simplify the lives of travelers,” said EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas. A Europe-wide booking system would increase competition and lower prices. The Greek also explicitly stated that the new system should apply not only to EU countries, but also to partner states such as Norway or Switzerland, “with which we have agreements and with which train connections are essential.” According to an EU official, the land transport agreement forms the legal basis. Adopting the new rules would also be “good news” for Swiss citizens. You would benefit directly. However, a takeover would not be automatic with the current bilateral agreements, but would first have to be decided on in the so-called “Joint Committee”.
The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV) responded positively to the initiative in an initial statement. “Switzerland has a great interest in introducing simplified ticketing for cross-border rail transport across the board,” it says when asked. However, the BAV also says that tariff sovereignty lies with the transport companies: “It is they who have to provide customer-friendly ticketing for international rail passenger transport.”
Can the industry solve the problem faster on its own?
The SBB shares the goal of the EU proposal. The SBB is already working with its European partner railways to make international ticketing “as easy as possible”. In fact, the cooperation with Deutsche Bahn, the Austrian ÖBB and the SNCF in France is close. At the same time, it is made clear that no new laws are needed for further cooperation: “We are convinced that the rail industry can achieve the improvements itself,” said an SBB spokeswoman.
An ÖBB Nightjet from the inside.Image: www.imago-images.de
For some rail companies in Europe, the proposals go too far. In particular, it is perceived as offensive that tickets from competitors will also have to be sold in the future. This is perceived as a regulatory overreach. However, EU Transport Commissioner Tzitzikostas weighs it down: “Our proposal is 100 percent pragmatic and 100 percent fair.” The changes would ultimately also benefit the railway companies. He couldn’t say how quickly the new rules could be made into law. But he will work to ensure that “it comes to an end within a year or two”.
According to insiders, this is an ambitious schedule. Many railways in Europe are state-owned, which is likely to result in intensive lobbying for their respective national interests. It therefore remains unclear how quickly the international standard ticket will become a reality for train travelers. (aargauerzeitung.ch)