News 24 Oct 2022

Another step towards improving the passenger experience in international rail transport!

Within the framework of an "Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC)", 15 European railway undertakings* have agreed that rail passengers who miss a connecting train and lose their seat reservation due to a delay, will be transported on the next possible train without additional costs if they can present a confirmation of delay. The railways involved in the agreement have put into place the relevant procedures and in particular the information to be provided to passengers. This solution was developed by the International Rail Transport Committee (CIT) as part of a Ticketing Roadmap, a sector initiative launched by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) to improve international rail services for passengers.

Cesare Brand, Secretary General of CIT, said: “The AJC is another important step towards improving the customer experience in international rail transport; The aim is for all railways concerned to adopt this agreement. Passengers should take for granted a simple, European sector solution for connection interruptions.”

Alberto Mazzola, CER Executive Director, said: “All CER members in September 2021 agreed to offer to passengers by 2025 a seamless experience when searching, selecting, buying and using rail services, including first and last mile, with access to real time information, ticket purchasing, and guidance in case of travel disruption. With the CIT Agreement on Journey Continuation, the rail sector moves ahead with a concrete step.  More will follow, also in terms of investments, after the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM)  – developed by the sector within the International Union of Railways (UIC) – is recognised by the European institutions and further transposed into technical regulation.”  

* Participating undertakings: BLS, ČD, CFL, DB, DSB, NS, ÖBB, Renfe, SBB/CFF, SJ, SNCB/NMBS, SNCF, SŽ, Trenitalia, ŽSSK

For more information on the AJC, you can access a CIT leaflet here. For more info on the CER Ticketing Roadmap, see here.