Buying a train ticket across European borders takes more time than it should. Passengers end up on multiple platforms, with separate tickets and uncertain connections. Not because trains cannot cross borders, but because the systems behind them never caught up. The European Commission wants to change that.
International journeys account for less than 10 per cent of ticket sales in most member states, according to the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA). That gives operators little incentive to invest in cross-border booking systems. Passengers are left juggling multiple platforms, separate tickets, and uncertainty over connections and their rights. The European Commission’s Passenger Package, launched on 13 May, aims to change that.
Cross-border rail’s missing link
Rail ticketing remains largely organised at national level, even as trains themselves increasingly operate across borders. International journeys account for less than 10 per cent of ticket sales in most member states. That gives operators little incentive to invest in cross-border booking systems.
The issue is not related to the trains’ ability to run across borders, but the ability to offer a seamless, end-to-end journey from the passenger’s perspective.
— European Railway Agency (ERA)
Passengers are left juggling multiple platforms, separate tickets, and uncertainty over connections, prices, and their rights. “The issue is not related to the trains’ ability to run across borders, but the ability to offer a seamless, end-to-end journey from the passenger’s perspective,” ERA says.
For ERA, the main problems are technical standards, weak enforcement, and restricted access to ticketing data. Although EU-level specifications already exist, member states do not always apply them consistently. National systems may also use different standards, making it difficult for platforms to combine journey and ticket information.
On the commercial side, operator-owned platforms have little incentive to display competing services. ERA therefore points to the need for binding rules on data access, neutral presentation of travel options, and non-discriminatory access to distribution channels.
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Data and standards
The lack of data sharing between companies is a key barrier to smooth booking. Railway companies do not always provide other operators, travel agencies, or independent ticket vendors with full timetable, price, availability, and ticket conditions, meaning not all possible journeys are visible to the passenger.
“Without access to complete and reliable information on schedules, availability, tariffs, and conditions, it is not possible to offer integrated booking solutions,” ERA says. Europe has developed interoperable standards, such as Transmodel and NeTEx. But ERA says technical progress has not yet produced a smooth passenger experience. Implementation remains uneven and access to data is still restricted.
For digitalisation to work in practice, ERA identifies three conditions: standards must be applied consistently, full ticket content must be available, and passenger rights must be clear when journeys involve several operators.
ERA develops and maintains the Telematics Technical Specification for Interoperability, known as the Telematics TSI. This legally binding framework sets common technical rules for passenger information, booking and ticketing systems. The agency also supports common data repositories, compliance testing and technical tools for through-ticketing, reservations, and multimodal travel.
But ERA’s mandate is technical rather than commercial. It cannot regulate how operators behave in the market or force them to share data on equal terms. “ERA’s role is decisive for the technical feasibility and harmonised implementation, while the Passenger Package provides the market and rights framework that turns feasibility into a smooth, citizen-facing reality,” ERA says.
The case for stronger EU rules
ERA identifies three areas where further action is needed: stronger enforcement of common technical standards, a level playing field for incumbents, new entrants, and independent ticket sellers, and clearer legal rights governing access to ticketing systems. This would include equal access to sales channels and fair treatment of external booking platforms.
“While the EU already has a strong technical framework through the TSIs, additional rules are needed to ensure that the benefits of interoperability are fully reflected in the passenger experience,” ERA says. The Commission’s proposals point in that direction, identifying the need for targeted measures that go beyond technical standards and into the commercial and legal sphere.
Together, these measures could make cross-border rail booking more transparent, reliable, and easier to use.
— European Railway Agency
Europe already has much of the necessary technology. What is still missing is consistent implementation, better access to data, and binding market rules. Full implementation of the Telematics TSI across all member states and adoption of the Passenger Package could allow passengers to book journeys involving several operators in a single transaction. “Together, these measures could make cross-border rail booking more transparent, reliable, and easier to use,” ERA says.
