Ahead of the fourth trilogue on Rail Passengers’ Rights, the European Passengers’ Federation wrote to MEPs from the TRAN and IMCO committe expressing our worries on the status of the current discussions. From the preparations in view of the fourth trilogue on 1 October 2020, we get the impression that the Council would like to…
During the last decade, European passengers faced a closure wave of night train services, but the recently increased interest for climate friendly transport modes has revived the demand for travelling long distances by train. This position paper aims to define a declaration of EPF’s views concerning night train services including sleepers’ carriages. Night trains services…
Rail Accident Statistics are collected on the number of passengers, employees and others killed or injured, and then categorised into those resulting from collisions, derailments, accidents involving level crossings, accidents caused by rolling stock in motion, fires in rolling stock and ‘other’. These categories do not appear to include fatalities and injuries incurred as a consequence of ‘slips, trips and falls’…
Following contact with DG COMP, EPF was invited to meet members of the Transport, Posts & Other Services Directorate. DG COMP’s team was led by the Director. EPF had previously provided the Directorate with a paper setting out its priorities for the new Commission. This outlines the case for a seamless passenger transport system facilitated…
Today, EPF sent a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission. During the autumn quarterly meeting in Gdansk last weekend, members of the EPF council assembled and reviewed the Mission letter prepared by Ms von der Leyen to the nominated Transport Commissioner-designate. EPF appreciates and supports the mission described in this document. In particular, we…
With a view to the next political mandate of the European Parliament and of the European Commission, the European Passengers’ Federation has identified its priorities for Union action that will help unleash the potential of the public transport sector – particularly air, bus and coach and rail. Here are the most important goals: A seamless…
EPF has discussed its expectations towards the EU and the new Commission in the coming legislature. Passengers want a public transport system that is • affordable, • reliable, • sustainable and • coordinated with sufficient capacity to get people comfortably to where they want to go at the times they wish to travel, using whichever…
Michel Quidort, President of EPF, and Arriën Kruyt, as a member of the Board of EPF, had an interesting talk on April 1. with Mr. Joao Carvalho, chair and Mr. Serge Drugmand, vice-chair of IRG-Rail: the Independent Regulators Group – Rail. “Regulators are the watchdogs passengers need” Aim of IRG-Rail The overall aim of the Independent…
Customer focus is an essential element in the development of high quality public transport. EPF and UITP are pleased to release the new and updated version of their joint Passenger Charter, signed by UITP Secretary General Mohamed Mezghani, EU Committee Chair Ulrich Weber, EPF President Michel Quidort, and Willy Smeulders, member of the EPF Management Board,…
The European Passengers’ Federation (EPF) wants the European Commission to take fresh action to safeguard access to transparent, comprehensive and unbiased information for passengers buying tickets and travel services. The passenger watch-dog states that the European Commission should be investigating growing claims that big airlines may be abusing their dominant position. Josef Schneider, EPF’s chair,…
Following the attack by a lone roving gunman on a Thalys train in northern France in 2015 the European Commission immediately initiated work on a possible rail security initiative. EPF was an active participant in the consultations on the issue: Christopher Irwin and Willy Smeulders represent passengers in the Commission’s Land Security Expert Group, LANDSEC.…
After presenting EFP’s view during the TRAN-Hearing on 20th February, we are not satisfied with the Draft Report (2017/0237 (COD)) submitted by the TRAN-Rapporteur Liberadzki on the proposal for a regulation on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (recast). Regarding this, EPF sent a letter to TRAN Chair Karima Delli with detailed analyses and justifications. This…