On 16 October, the International Union of Railways (UIC) hosted the first combined edition of the UIC Railway Station Awards and the TopRail Tourism-Friendly Awards at its headquarters in Paris. On behalf of the European Passengers’ Federation (EPF), Freek Bos (EPF member, Rover) had the honour of serving on the jury for this year’s Tourism-Friendly Awards in the categories “Line” […]
The European Commission is currently reviewing two interrelated sets of VAT provisions: the special VAT scheme for travel agents, and the VAT rules on passenger transport. The Call for Evidence highlights that the current rules are difficult to apply in practice (e.g., the place of supply rule based on distance travelled) and create market distortion, as different modes of transport are […]
The Youth on Track coalition, uniting youth organisations, consumer groups, and environmental NGOs, is calling on the EU to address the issue of rail ticket prices that are often higher than flights and that of booking systems that make cross-border train travel too complicated. With the Single Ticketing Package and the upcoming revision of VAT rules for passenger transport, Europe has […]
The European Rail Campaign (UK), an EPF member organisation, campaigns for better rail connections between the UK and the rest of Europe. In a recent article, they highlighted the growing difficulties for passengers who wish to combine rail and sea travel in one journey.
“There remain very few good examples of through Rail/Sea/Rail integrated travel & ticketing across Europe. There […]
Commission launches call for evidence on revision to Rail Passenger Rights
The European Commission is requesting input from citizens and stakeholders on a planned targeted revision of the Rail Passenger Rights Regulation. The legislation covers the protection of passengers travelling by rail in the EU and grants them several rights linked to travel disruptions during their journey, including:
Reimbursement
Re-routing
[…]
On 14. August, German Transport Minister Volker Schnieder announced that the CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG will be replaced. EPF member Fahrgastverband PRO BAHN e.V. PRO BAHN responded with a press release, stressing that a simple change of leadership will not be enough to solve the structural challenges at Deutsche Bahn.
According to PRO BAHN, many promising ideas introduced by […]
Spain-based EPF member Associació per a la Promoció del Transport Públic (PTP) is celebrating a long-awaited step for passengers: a dedicated bus lane on the B-23 into Barcelona. PTP describes the achievement as the result of decades of proposals, alliances and public pressure, dating back to the “Manifest d’Esparreguera” in 2000 with Baix Llobregat municipalities.
The new bus lane runs […]
The Fifth Integrated Progress Report of the Ministerial Platform on International Rail Passenger Transport (IRP) was published in time for the meeting of the EU Transport Council in June, where it was presented by the Austrian and Dutch delegations.
The IRP was set up in 2020, tasked with a common agenda aimed at fostering and supporting the improvement of cross-border railway passenger […]
On 3. June 2025, EPF and its member organisations (FNAUT, PTP, and UTP) sent a joint letter to the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN), the European Commission and IRG-Rail, highlighting the ongoing challenges concerning cross-border rail services between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of […]
The European Commission launched a call for evidence on the revision of EU air services rules (Regulation (EC) N° 1008/2008). The current EU air services rules cover areas such as operating requirements, the freedom to provide services and pricing freedom. The initiative will update those rules in light of lessons learnt, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, changing market dynamics and […]
