2/24
CIV Session - 06 June 2024 afternoon: One year of the new Rail Passenger Rights Regulation and 25 years of the CIV Uniform Rules - A sector review and outlook

The main topic was the question of whether and how the components of the legal framework in passenger transport, the CIV Uniform Rules (CIV) and the Rail Passenger Rights Regulation (PRR), fit together and whether they still meet the needs of the sector. Isabelle Saintilan (Eurostar and Chair of the CIV Committee) guided this session.

Oliver Hirschfeld (DB and CIV Working Group Chair) took up the question of the need to harmonise the CIV and PRR, giving an overview of his thinking on overlaps and gaps between the CIV and PRR.  As an example, the concept of the carrier and ticket vendor and its understanding under the CIV and the PRR.

A roundtable took then place in which Alberto Gallo (Trenitalia), Jana Peléšková (Ceske Drahy) and Oliver Hirschfeld (DB) discussed the main challenges of the new PRR, which has been applicable since 2023.

Following the roundtable, Alberto Gallo gave an insight into practical questions in case of major incidents such as advance payments to passengers and reimbursement / re-routing in case of natural disasters such as landslides. This was valuable advice for the practical application of the PRR.

Jan Vavra and Nina Scherf (both CIT) then introduced the European Commission`s new initiative on passenger rights in the context of multimodal journeys. Their analysis of this initiative underlined the various contractual obligations in case of delays or cancellations in a multimodal context.

The second part of the session was dedicated to (new) business models. Andrea Giuricin (University of Milano Bicocca) underlined the outlook in a competitive context, focusing on the Italian market and the impact that reduced track access charges could have on market development. Jana Peléšková concluded the series of presentations with a look at the revival of night trains and the complete turnaround on their organisation, taking into account the developments of the last 25 years.

There followed a second panel discussion with the participation of all speakers, addressing the question: is the legal framework still up to date, given market developments and the presence of new actors alongside "traditional" carriers?

Isabelle Saintilan concluded the session pointing out the twin challenge for legislation to remain up-to-date while also meeting the need for stability in the legal framework.