Europe’s Plan to Fix the Nightmare of Booking Cross-Border Train Tickets
For anyone who has dreamed of a smooth train journey across Europe, the reality of buying tickets can be a headache. You might find yourself juggling half a dozen websites and apps, hoping you don’t miss a connection because there’s no one to call for help. One European lawmaker described the experience as requiring “five tabs, three apps and a prayer.”
This week, the European Commission proposed a fix. By 2029, passengers should be able to buy a single ticket for a cross-border trip, with better protection if trains are delayed or canceled. The plan would force major operators like Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, and Trenitalia to sell each other’s tickets on their own sites and share data with booking platforms, making it possible to buy one ticket for a multi-leg journey.
Consumer protections would also get a boost. If you miss a connection due to a delay, the operator that caused the problem would have to get you on the next train, offer a refund, or provide food and accommodation.
Not everyone is on board. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies calls the plan “unprecedented and unjustified regulatory interventionism.” They argue the market already works, pointing to a survey where 73% of people found it easy to book connecting trains. But critics note the same survey found 43% of respondents had never tried. A 2025 YouGov poll across seven countries showed two-thirds of long-distance rail passengers had trouble buying tickets, and 43% said they’d ride more often if booking were simpler.
Consumer groups welcome the change. “Booking a rail ticket has become far too complex,” said Agustín Reyna of the European Consumers Organisation. The EU’s transport commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, insists the plan is “100% pragmatic” and predicts ticket prices will drop due to increased transparency and competition. A Greenpeace study last year found flights were cheaper than trains on 54% of cross-border routes.
The proposal still needs approval from EU member states and the European Parliament. Train operators are pushing back, but as Austrian MEP Lena Schilling put it, the goal is simple: seamless booking, full passenger rights, and open access to ticketing data so travelers can use the platform they prefer.