Legal and Commercial Challenges of High-speed Rail Services in Europe and the Role of UIC

摘要

High-speed rail in Europe faces new challenges in the light of Passenger Rights Regulation and liberalisation of rail passenger services ("open access" ). The latter leads more and more to situations where traditionally cooperating railway undertakings may become fierce competitors on parts of the market. This has a strong impact on tariff and distribution agreements, which may culminate in the question:" Do I still want to sell tickets for my neighbour?" Whereas growing competition between railway undertakings leads to separate marketing and sales strategies, including the tendency to " point-topoint" offers like in low-cost airline business, the intention of the European Commission is to maintain the access to railway services for the passenger as easy as possible and to regard a rail journey as a service as a whole rather than a combination of separate independent parts. Information requirements, transparency of fares and conditions, compensation for delays, assistance for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM)are only some aspects of a range of new challenges European railway undertakings are beginning to face.