At the train cancellations and delays EU rail companies are no longer required to pay compensation if exceptional circumstances are the reason. This is the result of the new EU regulation “on the rights and obligations of passengers in rail transport”, which came into force on Wednesday. The ÖBB wishes to interpret the new regulations in a compliant manner west railroad nothing must change.
Until now, the regulation allowed passengers to claim a refund of 25 percent of the ticket price for delays of one hour or more and 50 percent for delays of two hours or more. With the readjustment, there are scenarios in which the right to compensation no longer applies.
Natural disasters and other emergencies
This includes extreme weather, natural disasters, people on the tracks, theft of cables, emergencies on the train, law enforcement measures, sabotage or terrorism, said Maria-Theresia Röhsler of the Passengers and Passenger Rights Agency (APF) at the Wednesday, in the morning daily Ö1. Railway companies must prove that this exceptional reason really exists.
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O Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) wishes to interpret the new regulations in an accommodating manner. Extreme weather must continue to be covered by passenger rights. When it comes to third parties, such as cable theft or police operations, no compensation should be paid in the future, ÖBB spokesman Daniel Pinka said on Ö1-morning diary: “But in these cases it is only a small part that is affected by the loss of passengers’ rights.”
O main reasons According to ÖBB, there are construction sites for delays, delays from abroad and delays in connections. “Here the compensation will continue because these are not exceptional incidents as provided for in the passenger rights regulation,” said Pinka.
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At the west railroad don’t want to change anything. reasons for delays should continue to play no role in compensation, the company told ORF.
Other changes will also come into effect: If extraordinary circumstances are the cause of train cancellations, the railway company may in future hotel accommodation limited to a maximum of three nights, in accordance with article 20 of the regulation.
Furthermore, if a delay of more than an hour is foreseeable, passengers can also rebook on another provider’s train. For compensation to be valid, the application must be submitted within three months instead of the previous year.