The 3rd railway package

The Commission put forward a third railway package on 3 March 2004, the aim of which is to continue the reform of the sector and consolidate the creation of an integrated European railway area. The 3rd package contains four proposals:

• Directive on opening-up of the market for international passenger services by 2010, including “cabotage”.
• Regulation on international passengers’ rights and obligations
• Directive on certification of locomotive drivers
• Regulation on quality services in rail freight

Of importance for our sector is the Regulation proposal on international passengers’ rights and obligations. As has already been introduced in the aviation sector, the Commission is proposing to establish a similar framework to protect the rights of passengers using international rail services. The Regulation proposal covers such issues as information to be provided to the passenger, availability of tickets, compensation for consequential damages, rights for persons with reduced mobility, security measures and complaint handling. It also covers provisions on liability in case of death or injury of a passenger and liability and compensation for delays as well as cancellation of services.

The Regulation proposal also confers obligations on tour operators (tour operators referring to both organisers and retailers in accordance with the definition of the package travel Directive 90/314/EEC), but is mostly limited to the provision of information, rights granted to PRMs and complaint handling.

http://europa.eu.int