Cancelled train: the sheet to keep

The official text · Article 18(1)

“Where it is reasonably to be expected, either at departure or in the event of a missed connection or a cancellation, that arrival at the final destination under the transport contract will be subject to a delay of 60 minutes or more, the railway undertaking operating the delayed or cancelled service shall immediately offer the passenger the choice between one of the following options, and shall make the necessary arrangements: (a) reimbursement of the full cost of the ticket, under the conditions by which it was paid, for the part or parts of his or her journey not made […] (b) continuation or re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to the final destination at the earliest opportunity; (c) continuation or re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to the final destination at a later date at the passenger's convenience.”

The official text · Article 20(2)

“Where the delay referred to in paragraph 1 amounts to 60 minutes or more, or the service is cancelled, the railway undertaking operating the delayed or cancelled service shall offer the passengers the following, free of charge: (a) meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time […] (b) hotel or other accommodation, and transport between the railway station and place of accommodation, in cases where a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary or an additional stay becomes necessary, where and when physically possible.”

The official text · Article 18(3), second subparagraph

“Where the available re-routing options are not communicated to the passenger within 100 minutes from the scheduled departure time of the delayed or cancelled service or the missed connection, the passenger shall be entitled to conclude such a contract with other providers of public transport services by rail, coach or bus. The railway undertaking shall reimburse the passenger for the necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs that he or she incurs.”

The official text · Article 19(1)

“Without losing the right of transport, a passenger is entitled to compensation for delays from the railway undertaking if he or she is facing a delay between the places of departure and final destination stated in the ticket or through-ticket for which the cost has not been reimbursed in accordance with Article 18. The minimum compensation for delays shall be as follows: (a) 25 % of the ticket price for a delay of 60 to 119 minutes; (b) 50 % of the ticket price for a delay of 120 minutes or more.”

The official text · Article 18(5)

“The reimbursements referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 and in paragraph 3 shall be paid within 30 days after the receipt of the request. […] The reimbursement may take the form of vouchers and/or the provision of other services provided that the terms of those vouchers and/or services are sufficiently flexible, in particular regarding the validity period and destination, and that the passenger agrees to accept those vouchers and/or services. The reimbursement of the ticket price shall not be reduced by financial transaction costs such as fees, telephone costs or stamps.”

The official text · Article 19(10)

“A railway undertaking shall not be obliged to pay compensation if it can prove that the delay, missed connection or cancellation was caused directly by, or was inherently linked with: (a) extraordinary circumstances not connected with the operation of the railway, such as extreme weather conditions, major natural disasters or major public health crises […] Strikes by the personnel of the railway undertaking, acts or omissions by another undertaking using the same railway infrastructure and acts or omissions of the infrastructure and station managers are not covered by the exemption referred to in point (c) of the first subparagraph.”

The official text · Section “How to claim your rights?”

“to the railway company, who must reply within 1 month with a reasoned reply. In duly justified cases, the railway company may reply within 3 months. […] If you did get a reply from the railway company but were not satisfied, you can also complain to the relevant national authority in your country within 3 months of the rejection of your complaint by the railway company. You should address your complaint to the national authority that granted the railway company's licence. The national authority's complaint-handling procedure should take a maximum of 3 months (or six months for complex cases). The national authority should provide you with a non-binding legal opinion on how to proceed with your claim.”