One ticket across Europe
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Passenger kilometres by rail in the EU (2024) 443 billion
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C02e per passenger kilometre on train vs a plane 5 x less
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Passengers willing to increase long-distance train travel if ticket booking was easier 43%
Train travel in Europe has reached record popularity, with 443 billion passenger kilometres in 2024, as many Europeans prefer this environmentally friendly alternative to driving or flying. However, rail travel in Europe remains heavily constrained by the complexity of cross-border booking processes. These shortcomings are limiting the full potential of rail - according to a YouGov poll, 43% of long-distance rail passengers say they would travel more by train if ticket booking were easier.
Now, Europe has a chance to change course. The upcoming Single Ticketing Package must deliver a more seamless travel experience.
What are the barriers and how can we fix them?
A study by the University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten found that participants frequently struggled when booking international train tickets, sometimes spending up to 60 minutes completing a purchase. On average, booking a train journey took 70% longer than booking a flight. Studies by the same university in 2021/22 and 2022/23 found that booking international rail journeys fails ten times more often than booking a flight, making it arguably unsurprising that passengers are tempted by more convenient travel by plane.
People tend to buy tickets directly from their local railway operator, unlike flights, where most travellers use booking platforms. This highlights just how important the rail operator’s website is for both informing customers and facilitating ticket sales.
Rail travel in Europe is hugely disadvantaged by the vast complexity of cross-border booking processes and lack of connectivity between rail operators.
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All major rail operator booking platforms with significant market power should be required to display and sell available tickets domestically and internationally. This includes selling and displaying willing competitors’ tickets under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) terms, to ensure passengers can access the best ticket for their journey.
The same YouGov survey found that 61% of long distance rail passengers have at least once avoided journeys because the booking process is perceived as a hassle.
Rail operators do not share all of their ticket information with third-party booking engines, which could considerably ease travel-planning. Guaranteed connections, ease of long-distance ticket reservation and visibility for all fare types in booking websites are among top concerns for passengers.
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Rail operators with significant market power should also be required to share journey data with other willing operators and third party platforms under FRAND. This includes special fares, disability seats, bike access and real time data so that passengers have access to all relevant information for their journey regardless of where they booked their tickets.
Platforms often fail to display all available journeys and ticket prices or sell competitor’s cheaper ticket options, while delays and cancellations are not consistently communicated.
On top of this, tickets for the same train can be advertised at different prices by different operators, creating an unnecessarily complex and frustrating experience for passengers. Some journeys may not be made available for commercial reasons, to the detriment of consumer information. Better coordination and transparent data-sharing are essential to give travellers a clear, reliable view of their options.
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Third party booking platforms with significant market power should be mandated to display and sell tickets from all willing operators including all ticket discounts and offers, to ensure passengers can access the cheapest available tickets and current journey data
Rail is the clear climate winner when it comes to alternative transport modes. Considering that planes emit about five times more C02e per passenger kilometre than trains on average, this barrier to low carbon travel reflects a failure in EU policy which urgently needs to be resolved. The climate footprint of different ways to travel needs to be made clear to consumers.
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All travel platforms should provide information on the climate impact of each trip (including greenhouse gas emissions and non-CO₂ effects) so passengers are informed about the environmental footprint of their journey
The rail sector has clearly failed to address the issues travellers are facing with viable solutions for straight forward ticketing. Now the responsibility lies squarely with EU decision makers to regulate in order to take rail ticketing out of the stone age and encourage passengers to travel by rail. It’s time to maximise the potential of the vast European rail network and reduce the EU’s transport emissions with an ambitious Single Ticketing Package.