Von der Leyen pushes for single European train ticketing platform

Ursula von der Leyen, reappointed on Thursday by the European Parliament as president of the European Commission, wants to make train travel more accessible by creating a standard reservation system at the EU level. She said this in the political guidelines for the next legislature for 2024-2029, just before the vote for her reappointment.

“We will propose a regulation providing for a single digital reservation and ticketing system so that Europeans can buy a single ticket on a single platform,” von der Leyen said.

One digital booking platform

“Cross-border rail transport remains too complicated for many citizens,” von der Leyen stated. “People should be able to use open booking systems to buy trans-European travel from multiple providers, without losing their right to reimbursement or compensation.”

Specifically, von der Leyen wants a unified, digital booking platform for European train tickets. With that, you would only have to buy one ticket for a train trip across different countries without compromising your rights or service.

A patchwork of national networks

Between 1990 and 2021, the EU rail network shrank by more than 12,000 km.

The growth of European rail also still encounters the fragmentation of the European network into 27 national systems. As Luxembourg MEP Tilly Metz (Greens), rapporteur of a text on rail transport in the EU, describes it, it is a “mosaic, a patchwork of national networks, rather than a genuinely European network.”

So, with the measure, von der Leyen wants to re-energize European rail and make it easier for citizens to switch to more sustainable options. The measure should also help achieve European climate goals and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) congratulated Ursula von der Leyen on her reappointment. It stated that it looked forward to continuing a fruitful exchange with her on leveraging the strengths of European railways to improve the competitiveness of the European economy.

In 2021, CER committed itself to improving international ticketing for rail in the broadest sense while promising that by 2025, many actions will be taken to ensure a more seamless passenger experience, such as extending the booking horizon and making tickets more available.

r