The need for better cross-border rail services was one of the issues that brought together several national an regional passengers’ associations and bodies nearly two decades ago. This and proposed rights for passengers led to the formation of the European Passengers’ Federation in 2002. Both are areas where the European Union can play a role in improving rail and other public transport and attracting more people to use it.
It is also logical for the EU to concern itself with the environment. The consultation over this led to the publication of the 2009 Transport White Paper advocating a modal shift towards rail, among other policies, and – in July 2016 – the Commmunication on Decarbonisation.
All three topics have been key features of the work of EPF, which also soon developed into a voice for all users of public transport. It has also grown to become the umbrella organisation for 35 public transport users’ associations in 21 countries, 3 of them outside the EU.
How successful has European transport policy been for rail passengers?
The first European rights for air passengers date from 1997, but it was not until 2009 that rights came into force for train passengers. These were followed by maritime passenger rights in 2012 and rights for bus and coach users in 2013.
We in EPF argued right from the start that there should be rights for passengers in all modes, and that these should be kept as simple and consistent as possible. Work still has to be done towards that goal, as we have pointed out when rights come up for review. Recent research has shown that only a third of EU citizens know their rights when they travel, and so more awareness is also needed.
If passengers know that they will be covered by compensation and contingency rules if things go wrong, that can be one factor in persuading them to choose rail.
Competition can also lead to more use of rail, and this has been part of the reason for the Railway Packages introduced by the EU. The 4th Railway Package has just been agreed after lengthy debate.
Its technical pillar simplifies and this speeds up the authorisation of new rolling stock – which must benefit cross-border services. Instead of having to be authorised by the authorities in each individual state, new trains and locomotives can be authorised by the EU Railway Agency. That helps in the modernisation of international services and their expansion.
The political pillar of the Package aims to encourage new operators by putting out services to tender. Such an approach has led to growth in usage of German regional services and, in Great Britain, to a doubling of passenger numbers over the past 20 years.
Such liberalisation may not automatically lead to better services and more customers. Indeed, the experience of some countries is that “the cheapest is not necessarily the best. ”The British experience is that there must be close consultation with passenger organisations and local authorities and that a franchise may have to be taken away from a company if it is not fulfilling its promises.
Investment in infrastructure is also needed to improve cross-border services and enable rail to increase its share of the market. Recent announcements of funding under the Connecting Europe Facility are relevant here, as have EU regional funds for new rolling stock and infrastructure.
There is no one single answer to the challenges facing the railways – but looking after the passengers, consulting them, simplifying procedures where possible, targetted investment and a willingness to consider new ideas and entrants into the market all have a role to play. Progress has been made in Europe over the past 15 years – but the work is still in progress.
Contribution by:
Trevor Garrod
President – European Passengers’ Federation
Share on:
