Europe wants seamless international train travel. Deutsche Bahn says it’s getting there

This autumn, Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s nationalist railway company, will statesman rolling retired a caller integer infrastructure that it says will streamline world obstruction bookings. 

The move is portion of a long-awaited push to simplify recreation crossed Europe’s patchwork of nationalist railway networks.

“[You will] beryllium capable to book an world travel conscionable arsenic easy arsenic a home one,” Michael Peterson, DB’s committee personnel for long-distance transport, told German property agency DPA. 

“This brings america person to a awesome goal,” he continued: seamless cross-border obstruction recreation crossed Europe, powered by a unified integer strategy and regulations backed by nan EU.

What’s changing, and when?

Starting this autumn, DB will adopt a caller data-sharing modular known arsenic OSDM (Open Sales and Distribution Model). This EU-endorsed interface is intended to springiness European obstruction operators instant entree to each other’s ticketing systems. 

Using nan OSDM arsenic a framework, DB says it intends to connection integrated ticketing for virtually each awesome European railways by nan extremity of 2026, including section transport, done its website and DB Navigator app. 

Rail master Jon Worth is speedy to constituent retired that this will not beryllium a azygous ticket, but alternatively “a amended measurement to stitch together tickets from different railways,” however.

DB will initially merge pinch Austria and Switzerland’s nationalist operators – nan ÖBB and SBB, respectively – pinch different operators to travel successful nan coming months.

Currently, booking world train tickets done DB’s level tin beryllium confusing, constricted and, successful galore cases, expensive. 

While passengers tin already bargain immoderate cross-border tickets moving done Germany, galore celebrated routes still require piecing together fares from different companies aliases making consciousness of aggregate nationalist obstruction sites. No azygous obstruction supplier tin screen a travel from Berlin to Barcelona, for example.

Why does this matter?

Aside from convenience, nan caller strategy could statesman to reside a spread successful passenger rights. 

Currently, travellers utilizing abstracted tickets for different legs of a cross-border travel consequence losing protection if a hold causes a missed connection. Addressing this rumor – and ensuring afloat rider authorities passim nan journey, including rebooking and reimbursement – is specified a privilege that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has made it a cornerstone of her 2nd term.

“Cross-border train recreation is still excessively difficult for galore citizens,” she wrote successful 2024.

“People should beryllium capable to usage unfastened booking systems to acquisition trans-European journeys pinch respective providers, without losing their correct to reimbursement aliases compensatory travel.”

But specified protection isn’t yet guaranteed.

Worth says that nan OSDM doesn’t compel obstruction operators to waste unified tickets. It besides doesn’t guarantee accordant enforcement of rider rights. 

“What DB is doing is invited for Germany, successful particular, but it is insufficient,” he explains. 

“To get genuine portals connected which you tin book immoderate train anyplace successful Europe, we request much than a method modular – which is what DB is implementing, fundamentally – but [rather] binding rules for information sharing, commissions for summons re-sale and amended rider authorities if thing goes incorrect successful a multi-operator obstruction journey.”

Cross-border obstruction recreation still faces immoderate friction

The inaugural comes amid expanding unit from Brussels. 

EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas has said he plans to propose authorities to create unified platforms and make afloat rider authorities mandatory.

That’s causing immoderate interest for DB – “already 1 of nan best” obstruction operators successful Europe, according to Worth. 

Peterson warned that a integer modular different than nan OSDM could undermine years of investment. “That costs money, that costs time,” he said.

Despite nan lingering challenges, DB is optimistic. The institution precocious launched a nonstop high-speed ICE route betwixt Berlin and Paris and plans further description s. 

In 2024, DB besides saw a 22 per cent summation successful cross-border summons income compared to pre-pandemic levels – its champion twelvemonth yet.

Now, pinch amended tools, much collaboration and upcoming legislation, Europe’s railways could yet statesman to drawback up pinch nan expectations of climate-conscious travellers – and present connected nan committedness of a genuinely connected continent.