On Wednesday 13 May 2026, the European Commission proposed new rules to simplify train travel, enabling single-ticket booking across Europe. The move aims to boost sustainable travel and help the European Union meet its climate goals by making rail a more attractive alternative to short flights. Rail companies will have one year to adjust their websites and platforms.
The proposal allows passengers to book travel across different countries and rail lines with a single ticket, making it easier to compare prices and protect consumer rights in cases of missed connections.
The Commission stated, “At present, comparing all available travel options and identifying the most sustainable choices, especially for cross-border travel, remains difficult for passengers in the EU, especially for rail tickets.”
CER slams proposal as unjustified regulatory overreach
The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) has strongly criticised the proposal, calling it an unprecedented and unjustified regulatory intervention that risks distorting the market.
CER argues that the mandatory distribution requirements and heavy liability burden on railways will empower dominant digital platforms – many of them non-European – while forcing railways to bear the cost and responsibility, inevitably leading to higher ticket prices.
A recent Eurobarometer survey found 73% of Europeans who booked connecting trains run by different operators found the process easy. International digital rail ticket sales in Germany rose by 75% in early 2026 compared with 2025, thanks to the rail sector’s own Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM). Despite this progress, the Commission’s Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation (SDBTR) proposes mandatory distribution agreements, regulated commission fees, and a requirement to sell competitors’ products.
CER questions the necessity of such heavy-handed intervention, especially as the European Commission’s own Regulatory Scrutiny Board has challenged the existence of evidence for market failure and highlighted weak cost-benefit analysis. The proposed legislation is seen as inconsistent with the European market economy, the EU’s simplification drive, and core principles of its Digital Markets Act.
Mandatory distribution threatens commercial freedom and innovation
CER’s strongest objections centre on the mandatory distribution obligations, which it argues will strip railways of their commercial negotiating power. Forcing major railway companies into agreements with all requesting digital platforms could lead to an unhealthy concentration of market power, with dominant platform gatekeepers dictating higher distribution fees and driving up ticket prices. The very outcome EU competition policy, including the Digital Markets Act, seeks to prevent. The United Kingdom government is already reversing similar provisions for these exact reasons.
The requirement for railways to sell competitors’ products directly undermines their commercial freedom and entrepreneurial autonomy, disincentivising innovation. If a railway company sees that investing in an advanced booking tool will benefit its competitors rather than give itself a competitive edge, it will think twice before making the investment. Regulated commission fee levels for third-party vendors could further stifle innovation and introduce rigidity into a currently dynamic market.
Liability and aviation concerns deepen industry frustration
Critically, the SDBTR obligations will be compounded by the targeted revision of Rail Passenger Rights, where the Commission seeks that every multi-leg rail journey be sold as a single ‘through-ticket’.
This raises serious liability questions in the event of journey disruptions, especially involving competing operators and other modes of transport. Placing full responsibility on railway undertakings fails to recognise that their low profit margins cannot absorb this higher exposure to risk. To minimise the impact on ticket prices, liability must reside with the ticket sellers, not the operators.
The conspicuous absence of aviation from the Commission’s proposals has also drawn criticism. CER argues that this omission deepens the unlevel playing field between rail and air transport, undermining the credibility of the EU’s multimodal ambitions.
Alberto Mazzola, CER executive director, said, “Today’s proposals favour big digital platforms, risk increasing ticket prices, undermine railways’ investments in innovation, and set aviation apart rather than promoting fair competition.”
Sector-led progress at risk
CER emphasises that sector-led transformations in rail ticketing are already delivering tangible results for passengers. Mazzola noted, “Just five years on, we see more rail ticket vendors, better integration, and higher cross-border ticket sales than ever before. We share the Commission’s vision of seamless travel. But regulation will not help achieve that vision any faster than the sector’s own initiative and risks creating the very problems it intends to solve.”
The industry body calls on the European Parliament and Council to carefully scrutinise the Passenger Package during the co-decision process. CER is ready to engage constructively but warns that without significant changes, the proposals could entrench platform gatekeepers, limit entrepreneurial freedom, and ultimately harm passengers through higher prices.
Mazzola added, “If you don’t have the infrastructure, selling tickets has very limited benefit,” urging the EU to focus on simplifying infrastructure delivery rather than imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens on ticket sales.
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