EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/320

(2004/C 84 E/0368)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0155/04

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 January 2004)

Subject: Disadvantaging certain categories of passengers through further restrictions on the sale of rail tickets from the Netherlands to other European destinations

1. Is the Commission aware that Nederlandse Spoorwegen, a company that, in contrast with railway companies in other Member States, traditionally does not sell tickets to international destinations at the usual station ticket offices and which has already reduced the number of its international ticket outlets to ten in larger towns and cities and at Schiphol Airport, intends to close the remaining outlets in 2005?

2. Is the Commission also aware that the planned alternatives will be limited to purchasing tickets over the internet and from machines to a number of destinations in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany and Switzerland, with the result that passengers travelling to, for example, Spain, Italy, Austria, Poland, Denmark or the UK will be largely dependent on waiting times during opening hours at foreign stations?

3. What will the consequences be for people living outside the Netherlands who do not possess a Netherlands bank card but who want to purchase a train ticket for a journey to a destination in another European country? What will happen in the case of passengers who do not have internet access or who decide to make an international train journey only at the last minute? Will such passengers have to travel without a valid ticket?

4. Are there other EU Member States where rail tickets to foreign destinations can no longer be purchased at stations? Is the Commission aware of Member States where railway companies are considering phasing out such sales?

5. Does the Commission think it acceptable that, running against the trend forwards of European integration, the rail network is increasingly being divided into national entities, which, because of restrictions on ticket sales and connections, are becoming less accessible to passengers from other Member States?

6. What action can the Commission take against Member States and rail companies to prevent a situation where the rail network is accessible in a normal way only to passengers in their own Member State?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 2004)

The Commission has noted the information supplied by the Honourable Member.

It is hard for the Commission to assess the consequences of this decision. The fact remains, however, that the rules of international rail transport require all passengers to be in possession of a valid ticket before boarding an international service.

The Commission does not know of any initiatives in other Member States to end the sale of international tickets at ticket offices and replace it with other forms of distribution. However, it is aware of the initiative by the International Union of Railways (UIC) to introduce a system containing information on all the rail services of its members (1). The UIC has also begun developing a reservation and sales system for international tickets issued by its members (Prifis (2)). These two systems should make it easier to obtain information on international services and to buy international tickets.

The Commission is continuing to work to create an integrated European rail area and on 3 March 2004 it adopted the third railway package, a set of measures to open up the market in international passenger services and establish the rights and duties of passengers in international rail traffic. These proposals include provisions requiring railway undertakings to cooperate with a view to offering passengers integrated tickets for journeys involving several railway undertakings.

(1) Merits: Multiple European Railway Integrated Timetable Storage.

(2) Prifis: Price and Fare Information System.