A second proposal would significantly strengthen passenger rights for multi-operator rail journeys by introducing a new category of “single ticket,” covering journeys booked in one transaction even when they involve multiple operators and separate transport contracts.
Passengers who miss a connection because of delays or cancellations on earlier legs of the trip would have the right to be rerouted, and request reimbursement, assistance and compensation for the entire journey, even if later legs are with other operators.
To prevent circumvention of the rules, railway undertakings, ticket vendors and tour operators would be prohibited from artificially splitting journeys into separate bookings when they could technically be sold under a single ticket.
The Commission also wants rail tickets to go on sale earlier. Railway operators would be required to make tickets available at least five months before departure.
Alongside the rail-specific measures, the package includes a third, broader regulation on so-called multimodal booking, covering digital platforms across rail, air, bus and waterborne transport.
That proposal would impose “neutral display” obligations on major booking platforms, requiring them to rank transport options according to objective criteria such as price, travel time, or emissions, rather than commercial arrangements or sponsored placement.