On 12 August, Global Railway Review released a new report Customer-centric rail: closing the passenger journey gap, exploring what it takes to turn a fragmented rail network into one seamless journey that passengers can trust. EPF was invited to open the report with a double interview with Josef Schneider, Chairman, and Delphine Grandsart, Senior Researcher. Alongside EPF, it features contributions from UITP, Eurostar, CER, LTG Link, SBB, SNCF and Nomad Digital, with a global vantage point from South Korea’s Korail.

EPF’s key messages

Passengers expect public transport to be safe, reliable, affordable, time-competitive, comfortable and easy to use. Price and journey time are key, but especially for longer (multimodal & multi-operator) trips, the quality of information and ticketing are also important factors determining passengers’ modal choices. “The dropout rate for booking international rail journeys is around ten times higher than for air“(*): This highlights the need for the European Commission’s 13 May Passenger Package, particularly to make it easier for passengers to find and buy an entire journey in one place.

Where the Passenger Package should go further: protection should be based on a “single journey”, not a “single transaction”, so that passengers using Interrail, season tickets, regional tickets or separately purchased legs are not excluded. EPF also calls for robust, practical re-routing guarantees in case of missed connections, allowing passengers to take the next available train – including competitors’ services where faster or more convenient –, regardless of ticket type or railway company, without additional costs or administrative barriers. Multimodality offers significant untapped potential. EPF is disappointed that the Package does not go far enough in this area and believes data-sharing obligations should extend beyond rail to other modes. Finally, technology and digitalisation should be means, not ends. With around 40% of Europeans lacking basic digital skills, non-digital options and staff support must remain available.

EPF stresses that the question “What’s in it for passengers?” should guide transport policy, since improving the overall passenger experience is key to driving a shift to public transport, rail and more sustainable mobility. When rail gets it right, it can win significant market share: “Improve the cost, the time and, as a short-term priority, the information and ticketing – and the passengers who would like to take the train will actually be able to“.

(*) See study by Thomas Preslmayer, St. Pölten UAS, more info here & here

➡️ Read the full interview & report online here
➡️ Read EPF’s response to the Passenger Package here