CER Ticketing Roadmap
CER published a ticketing roadmap which addresses the further improvement of the customer experience when planning, booking, and travelling internationally by rail. Today many online platforms already exist, that allow customers to purchase tickets for international journeys, however we are aware that this experience is not always frictionless, and customers expect more. Therefore, railway undertakings commit to improve international ticketing for rail in the broadest sense. These commitments were endorsed by CER members at their General Assembly in Gdansk on 20 September 2021.
Our vision for 2025
By the year 2025 CER members commit to many important actions aimed at a more seamless passenger experience, such as extending the booking horizon and making tickets more available. In addition, we will ensure that passengers on (international) journeys with multiple carriers will get better support in case of disruptions or delays.
Our long-term vision for 2030
The end goal of railways’ long-term vision for ticketing is to provide a seamless user experience for passengers when searching, selecting, and buying their railway services, including first and last mile transport. Passengers shall have access to simple, reliable, and comprehensive online information regarding timetables, prices, dependable real-time information and ticket purchasing for (rail) transport services, both domestic (urban, regional, long-distance) and international. Tickets issued by different railways and ticket vendors will be easily accepted throughout Europe. In the event of travel disruption, passengers will be able to easily attain information on how to continue their journey as well as their passenger rights.
Sector solutions
In recent years, European Railways have been working on enablers, creating the respective specifications for train ticket sales that harmonise the different ways of selling tickets, Europe-wide integrated rail timetables, and the basis for full ticket digitalisation. This will allow a lot of new services to be offered to passengers. Notable examples are the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM), the electronic Ticket Control Database (eTCD), and the Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC).
Progress reports
- 1st progress report - Autumn 2022
- 2nd progress report - Spring 2023
- 3rd progress report - Winter 2023
- 4th progress report - Spring 2024
CER Members Ticketing Map
What is the current landscape of international online rail ticketing in Europe? The CER Members Ticketing Map shows to which European countries online international rail tickets are available, highlighting in green the countries where online tickets are available to at least one destination within the specified country.
More info
Get a glimpse of our vision for 2025 in this short video: