A new EU regulation worsens the rights of train passengers: In future, all delays that last an hour or longer will no longer be refunded.
reb/dpa
06/07/2023 – 09:28 am
In the case of cancellations and delays in train services, rail companies in the EU no longer have to pay compensation if exceptional circumstances are to blame. This is in the new EU regulation “on the rights and obligations of passengers in rail traffic”. It went into effect on Wednesday.
Previously, the ordinance allowed passengers to request a quarter of the ticket price for delays of more than one hour and half of the ticket price for delays of two hours or more. With the new regulation, there are now scenarios in which the claim for compensation is no longer valid. DB Marketing Director Stefanie Berk recently said that in the future there would no longer be any compensation for cable theft, emergencies on the train or people on the track.
Maximum three nights paid in the hotel
“Ordinary severe weather is explicitly excluded,” said Berk. In the event of extraordinary natural events such as the flood of the century in the Ahr Valley in summer 2021, they want to continue to make accommodating regulations in the future.
Other changes are also coming into force: If extraordinary circumstances are the cause of the train cancellations, the railway company can in future limit hotel accommodation to a maximum of three nights, according to Article 20 of the regulation.
Furthermore, rail passengers can also rebook on the train of another provider in the event of a foreseeable delay of more than one hour. In order for compensation to be valid, the application must be submitted within three months instead of the previous one year.
2023-06-07 08:25:59
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