EU Transport Minister Steffen Bilger Urged to Simplify International Train Ticketing

A coalition of consumer groups and major German companies, including SAP, Merck, the passenger association Pro Bahn and the transport club VCD, sent a letter to newly appointed German Transport Minister Steffen Bilger urging stronger passenger rights and a unified ticketing system for cross‑border rail travel. The letter argues that, despite progress by individual rail operators, the lack of a robust legal framework makes international train bookings cumbersome and discourages passengers from choosing rail for long‑distance journeys.

The groups cite a YouGov survey of 6,198 rail users in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain. Sixty‑one percent said they had avoided a cross‑border train trip because of complex booking procedures, 43 % would travel more by rail if online booking were simpler, and 46 % expressed a preference for a single platform to manage all their train tickets. Only ten percent view the current system, where operators control ticket sales on their own sites, as beneficial. The coalition calls on the EU and national authorities to mandate shared ticketing platforms and require operators to display competitor connections, aiming to make rail travel more attractive across Europe.