Rail travel

Passenger rights

Regulation 1371/2007 on passengers’ rights and obligation
 
It gives all passengers certain rights when traveling by train, including compensation in case of delay and cancellation. It also includes a specific chapter on the rights of passengers with disabilities and passengers with reduced mobility and particularly features the right to transport and the right to assistance.
     
Assistance shall be provided at no additional cost, notably during the boarding and alighting of the train and assistance in using facilities on board available for all passengers. Currently, the Regulation demands a maximum 48-hours’ notice period for assistance. Important information should also be provided to all passengers in accessible formats.
     
In case the mobility equipment of a disabled passenger is damaged, lost or destroyed, the passenger has the right to full compensation.
 
The regulation specifies that railway undertakings and station managers shall, with the active involvement of representative organisations of persons with disabilities, establish non-discriminatory access rules for the transport of persons with disabilities. The task force will meet for the first time in October 2008 and will thereafter hold regular meetings during a period of six months.

Rail accessibility

Regulation 1300/2014 on the technical specifications for interoperability relating to accessibility of the Union’s rail system for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility (TSI PRM)

 

The Specifications ensure that all new trains and certain stations will have to be accessible to persons with disabilities. We were involved in the revision process of the legislation 2011 – 2014 as part of a working group of the European Railway Agency, representing persons with disabilities as users of rail transport and it ensured important improvements of the Regulation.

Following the publication of the revised law, we are now actively monitoring its implementation.

On 18 January 2018, we co-organized a webinar as an introduction to the EU rail accessibility legislation (TSI-PRM) with AGE Platform Europe. A recording of the webinar as well as several supporting documents are available for information:

On Wednesday 28 February 2018, the Disability Intergroup of the European Parliament, in collaboration with EDF, held an event on the Revision of the Regulation on Rail Passengers’ Rights (1371/2007). Please click here to listen to the recording.