Another step forward in seamless international rail ticketing
The European rail sector continues to prioritise improvement of the passenger experience in international travel. Six new railway undertakings have or will soon join the CIT Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC) - MÁV-Start, GYSEV, HŽPP, Eurostar, LTG Link and PKP Intercity. This expansion ensures that the AJC will now encompass over 90% of CER members’ passenger traffic in the EU, guaranteeing the continuation of journeys for European travellers during the majority of their international trips. Expansion of the AJC is one of the key commitments of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) Ticketing Roadmap.
MÁV-Start (Hungarian railways) fully implemented the agreement on 1 April, while HŽPP (Croatian railways) will join on 1 November of 2023. The other 4 railway undertakings are expected to join in the course of 2024, when they finalise their internal procedures, train their staff and are compliant ready. Their entry will be communicated in due time.
Besides geographical expansion of the agreement, CER and CIT members are, together with the UIC, working to digitalise their services to support passengers in case of delays and disruptions by combining technical enablers for booking (OSDM), timetables (MERITS), real-time information and online ticket status (ETCD). This will furthermore bring the seamless ticketing experience in case of disruption. In parallel CIT is also working on improving the text of the Agreement, making it easier to understand and more accessible for passengers.
The AJC is a multilateral agreement between European railway undertakings which was established to enhance passengers’ travel experience by complementing the existing law. The agreement was initiated by the International Rail Transport Committee (CIT) and CER and its members. It is governed by the CIT.
CIT Secretary General Gilles Mugnier said: “The accession of the new railway undertakings to the AJC is another important step to broaden the geographical scope of the Agreement. These railway undertakings have made great efforts to initiate all the procedures to join the agreement or to become a member soon. The aim is for all railways concerned to adopt this agreement for the benefit of the railway sector and of the passengers. Passengers should then take for granted this simple, European sector solution for connection interruptions.”
CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola said: “The CER Ticketing Roadmap has the unequivocal support of the CER members and they are working hard to implement its commitments by 2025 in order to ensure seamless international rail ticketing. As part of the roadmap, the CIT Agreement on Journey Continuation represents one of the cornerstones of that vision and we are proud to see tangible deliverables more than two years before the deadline set in the roadmap. Today, it is also high time that the Open Sales Distribution Model (OSDM) is referenced in European legislation[1]. This will boost digital investments and accelerate the CER Ticketing Roadmap deployment.”
[1] The Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI) on Telematic Applications is currently under revision
See more information on the CIT AJC on the CER website here.
Pictured: CIT Secretary General Gilles Mugnier and CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola hold up the letter of intent signed by the newest AJC members.