EU Commissioner-designate Apostolos Tzitzikostas has proposed that the bloc introduce a unified system for booking train tickets across the 27 member countries.

Tzitzikostas proposes unified booking system for EU trains

Prospective EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas has said he will introduce a single digital booking and ticketing option for rail across the EU.

“It is unbelievable that we do not have this in 2024,” the Greek politician said in his Commissioner Confirmation Hearing on November 5. Currently, people who want to travel across Europe by train must jump between the websites of different European rail providers to plan a longer-haul journey.

While certain platforms such as Omio or RailEurope allow passengers to book a cross-border train journey in Europe, the tickets are still sold by individual, national rail operators, instead of as a unified train ticket. 

Since passenger rights do not apply if a connection is missed between trains run by different national operators, passengers are vulnerable to extreme disruptions and extra costs the disruptions may incur.

These complications remain despite the renaissance of cross-country train travel in Europe. According to Interrail, demand for train and flight-free travel in Europe grew by 25 percent between 2022 and 2023.

What is the timeline for the EU-wide train booking system?

Tzitzikostas announced the plan for a unified ticket system during his Commissioner Confirmation Hearing. Following a European election, all prospective commissioners must prove reliability and expertise in their area in a three-hour-long grilling by MEPs.

It is now up to MEPs to vote whether they think Tzitzikostas and the 25 other prospective commissioners are up to their designated tasks. If voted into the position, Tzitzikostas said that he would introduce the new ticket system within the first year of his mandate.

The current governor of Greece’s Central Macedonia region is not the first to propose a unified booking system. In 2021, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans for a multimodal bloc-wide system for booking trains, flights, rental cars, buses and e-scooters, but resistance came from transport associations, rail companies and airlines.

The new plan would be introduced more incrementally than von der Leyen’s, which Tzitzikostas hopes will avoid delays and disagreements, but a question mark still hangs over many elements. 

It is unclear whether rail companies in the 27 member states would be required to share their data and varying track gauges in European countries still pose a major challenge to unifying the continent’s rail network.

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