Millions of European passengers travelling across borders have no guarantee that a delayed train, a missed connection, or a disputed ticket will be resolved simply, fairly, or at all. Liberals and Democrats welcome the European Commission’s upcoming initiative for an integrated European rail network and better connectivity. We are clear: passengers rights must come first. The European Commission’s proposal should deliver what passengers have long been waiting for: operators to accept each other’s passengers in cases of delay, ticketing open across borders and platforms, and compensation settled between operators.

“No matter which borders you cross or which operator you choose, buying a train ticket in Europe should get simpler. For too long, the big operators have controlled their own distribution and had little incentive to make cross-border travel easy or affordable. With more competition on the railways, passengers will benefit from better service and lower prices,” Renew MEP and member of Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Jan-Christoph OETJEN commented ahead of the announcement.

With fuel prices rising and citizens demanding affordable rail connections, the moment for a unified solution for all rail passengers is now. Liberals and democrats have consistently pushed for more rights and easy access for passengers, better connectivity across EU borders, competitiveness, and better opportunities for European operators as the main pillars of a modern, sustainable transport system. „We will push for full and ambitious implementation across all three files,”, Oetjen added.