Dutch Member of the European Parliament Kim van Sparrentak (GroenLinks) is dissatisfied with the train travel agreement that EU ministers and a European Parliament committee reached last week. She calls it a missed opportunity.
“If we really improved passenger rights, we would convince more people to take the train and help the climate. Unfortunately, this chance has been missed.”
The umbrella organization of consumer groups is also disappointed, reports Treinreizigers.nl. Director Monique Goyens of the European umbrella organization BEUC also calls it a missed opportunity that passengers' rights are hardly improved. “There are a few small improvements. But EU countries can still grant various exemptions for new provisions, thereby weakening passenger rights.”
Various experts criticize the agreements now made between the Transport Ministers and the parliamentary committee, for example Elmer van Buuren, chairman of the Train2EU Foundation. This foundation aims to improve international train travel.
The major setback lies especially in a new broad clause allowing railway companies to claim force majeure in case of train delays. As a result, they will no longer have to pay compensation in many cases. Van Buuren also thinks railway companies can hide behind this in the event of a new pandemic.
The new agreement is the result of a three-year negotiation process. It will only take effect if the EU countries agree. The chance that they will block it appears small. After all, those national governments are the shareholders of those state-owned companies. And they have managed to frustrate the ambitious plans of the European Commission and the European Parliament through a successful lobby.
Still, all involved agree that besides deteriorations, there are also improvements. “We take one step forward but at the same time two steps back,” Van Sparrentak summarizes. One improvement is that in the future all new trains must offer space for at least four bicycles on board. This applies to new trains and trains renovated from 2023 onward.
Another improvement is for disabled people. Travelers with reduced mobility must inform the carrier of their travel plans 24 hours in advance, which is now 48 hours according to European requirements. Van Buuren: “The Netherlands already shows that one hour in advance is possible. In that light, this is a relatively meager result.”