European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 9hWe* will be at the Open Transport Community Conference in Bern next week! Come say hello, let's chat about cross-border rail data, and we may have stickers to give away… (“We” = Some volunteers. There is no paid staff. We’re all volunteers.) 040
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 29/09/2026They do not in the article, but the winning team was posted to LinkedIn by the EPF: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...linkedin.com#innotrans2026 #innotrans2026 #europeforrail | European Passengers' Federation🎟️ The European Rail Ticketing Challenge: Champions crowned! 🏆🚆 Navigating the world of European rail tickets can be quite challenging – but our teams were ready to take on the challenge! As part of... 011
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 29/09/2026[…] highlighting the work still to be done to optimise sales and distribution in the rail market. ‘The problem is, you don’t know these things as a regular passenger’, says Jedidjah de Vries, board chair of the ERPU. The team captained by Railway Gazette International came fourth.“ 130
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 29/09/2026“A highlight was a ticketing challenge hosted by cros-border rail connectivity campaigner Jon Worth’s recently founded European Rail Passengers Union, which saw four teams compete to calculate optimal fare options and itineraries for complex rail journeys within the EU, […] 130
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 29/09/2026The @RailwayGazette ’s write-up of the special train to InnoTrans also thought our ticketing challenge was a highlight: www.railwaygazette.com/innotrans/20...railwaygazette.comEU policymakers promote global rail development on charter train to InnoTransEUROPE: ‘Please, in two years’ time, I just ask that this journey takes less than 7 h’, quipped DG Move Deputy Director-General Maja Bakran Marcich when the EU-backed European Train arrived in Berlin ... 141
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 28/09/2026📰 🚨 We’ve become members of the European Passengers Federation. It is an honour to join this wonderful group of 42 European organisations pushing for better public transit. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to learn, share, & collaborate, and to contributing our focus on cross-border rail. 040
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 27/09/2026That's the last of our ticketing challenges for now. What kind of tricky ticketing troubles have you run into? Let us know and maybe we'll use them for a future challenge! 010
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 27/09/2026So to travel with rights you have to wait till all the legs are available. The proposal tries to also ensure that all tickets will be available at least 5 months in advance, but even if (big if!) that works, in this (we think reasonable)scenario it wouldn't have been enough! 120
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 27/09/2026… a problem if you want to make sure you can get to that winter ski getaway or rented beach house! But here’s the real problem: The EU Commission’s proposed Passenger Package would only grant you passenger rights if you purchased your entire journey all together in one transaction. 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 27/09/2026Ok. As many of you have by now realised, booking a ticket that far in advance is, well, not really possible. Different operators use different booking horizons, which means some legs might already be available and selling quickly while others don't even have their schedules confirmed… 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 26/09/2026In the absence of a complete price, explain how you would find the cheapest price, and when you would book it, and provide prices for parts of the journey you can book. If tied, the fastest journey will win. …you have 24 hours. Your time starts now. (And all the information is on the task.) 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 26/09/2026You have no passes or reduction cards of any sort. And you do not like night trains. For the sake of this exercise only consider a single ticket to Chamonix. If your route takes you through Paris, please ignore the ticket costs for the transfer there, but minimum connection times must be respected. 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 26/09/2026Challenge C: Find the cheapest way from Bruxelles to Chamonix Mont-Blanc by train. You work in the cabinet of European Commissioner for Transport Tzitzikostas and want to depart from Brussels to go to your skiing holiday in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France on February 27, 2027 (5 months from now). 122
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 26/09/2026Especially tricky in this challenge was that the same route in Poland is served by different operators. So it is possible to travel the same itinerary with and without passenger rights depending on whose train you are on. 010
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 26/09/2026🥇🏆️ This challenge is a bit more complicated to evaluate, but after consultation the judges are awarding it to Hatetsu (on Mastodon), who knew to pay close attention to which operators run each leg, where to go to purchase them all together, and the various rules for children's fairs. 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 25/09/2026Reply with your answers! We will post the solution – and the next challenge – tomorrow, which means… …you have 24 hours. Your time starts now. (And all the information is on the task.) 210
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 25/09/2026You need to make the trip on Friday 9th October, so as to be at a family gathering in Brno on 10th. In the case where there is a tie on passenger rights, then the cheapest ticket price will win. If ticket price is tied, then fastest journey time wins. (Please price your calculation in Euro.) 100
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 25/09/2026Challenge B: Find a connection with the best passenger rights for this journey. You are a family of 2 adults (age 42, 38) and 2 children (age 7, 11) travelling from Żmigród, Poland to Brno, Czechia. You are not residents of either country. You have no reduction cards. bsky.app/profile/erpu... 120
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 25/09/2026In short: it's complicated. And when travelling cross-border you are even less likely to know how to navigate an unfamiliar ticketing landscape. As a bonus, could you do all that in a single transaction…as is required by the proposed Passenger Package if you want to be guaranteed passenger rights? 020
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 25/09/2026Once in France things to look for are: specially cheap TGV tickets, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté reduction card offering 60% reduction on the TERs on weekends, and remembering that ticket splits in France only allowed at stations and SNCF cannot sell tickets for connections with more than 2 changes. 101
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 25/09/2026🏆️ 🥇 Congratulations to @bovine3dom.bsky.social who found a round trip for €63! For comparison, asking a ticketing platform to go from A to B will give you a price 1.5 to 2 times that … assuming you know that you know how far your Deutschlandticket goes or it will be even more. So what’s the trick? 120
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 24/09/2026Reply with your answers! We will post the solution – and the next challenge – tomorrow, which means… …you have 24 hours. Your time starts now. (And all the information is on the task.) 240
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 24/09/2026In the case of teams being tied on price, the team that needs the fewest booking transactions shall win. In the case teams are tied with booking transactions, then the team that found the fastest routes shall win. 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 24/09/2026At any time throughout the month of October you need to go to the historical battlefield Alésia in France to collect a rare Astérix comic from a seller there, who will also host you for 1 night (so ignore accommodation costs). 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 24/09/2026Challenge A: Find the cheapest way to Alésia and back to Freiburg by train. You are a 28 year old PhD student at the University of Freiburg (Breisgau), Germany. You have a Deutschlandticket in your possession, but no other reduction cards or passes of any sort. 1154
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 22/09/2026I think we were able to convey the urgency and seriousness of the concerns we had articulated in our official feedback, especially around issues like the single transaction requirement and booking horizons. 090
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 22/09/2026Yes! I'll post them later today when back at a laptop. –J dV 020
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 22/09/2026In fact we organized a "rail ticketing challenge" to demonstrate the actual problems passengers face. Teams competed to find the best tickets for real world scenarios … and discovered how difficult it can be. One policy maker summed it with their exasperated "but how were we supposed to know that…" 32511
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 22/09/2026Today begins Innotrans, the rail industry's trade fair in Berlin. But yesterday there was a specially organized train from Brussels with policy makers, journalists, and industry representatives … and we were on it! 1141
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 14/09/2026Will you be at InnoTrans in Berlin next week? So will we! Send us a message if you want to meet and chat. We might even have stickers to share… 121
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 07/09/2026Good luck and safe travels to our co-founder and board member Jon! 060
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 04/09/2026Curious about the details of what the EU is proposing and whether it will actually deliver for passengers? We have a complete summary for you erpu.eu/en/passenger...erpu.euCross-border rights & ticketing are broken. We have a plan to fix it.United for a more connected and sustainable Europe. 0227
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 03/09/2026Luckily the EU has recognised the problem and proposed a solution…or at least a partial solution. You can read all about it on our website: erpu.eu/en/passenger.... We’ll share more stories from our members soon, but in the mean time we’d also love to hear your experiences with cross-border rail!erpu.euCross-border rights & ticketing are broken. We have a plan to fix it.United for a more connected and sustainable Europe. 000
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 03/09/2026Needing to use multiple operators is common when travelling from one country to another, and our rights should come with us when we do so that people can have confidence they’ll be taken care of, and won’t be left out of pocket, if they’re affected by delays or cancellations. 100
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 03/09/2026Since Quentin was travelling with two different companies it meant he had two separate tickets, and thus no passenger rights. No one was responsible for helping him get to his destination. The only way to reach Madrid in time for his next leg was to buy a new ticket for an additional €80. 100
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 03/09/2026First up, a story from Quentin. Quentin was travelling from Paris (FR) to Lisbon (PT) in order to plan a move. Unfortunately, his train – operated by SNCF – from Paris to Barcelona was very delayed, meaning he missed his onward connection with Iryo from Barcelona to Madrid. What now? 100
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 03/09/2026As passengers, we know how wonderful it is to take the train … but we also have first-hand experience of the challenges, especially when travelling across borders. Over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing stories from some of our members that illustrate some of those problems. (And how to fix them!) 131
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 02/09/2026🇪🇺 📺️ We are watching the EU’s Committee on Transport and Tourism exchange of views with the European Commission on the Passenger Package this morning. What about you? multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream...multimedia.europarl.europa.euMultimedia Centre - European ParliamentThe multimedia platform of the European Parliament is the official public available repository of the media production of the Secretariat of the European Parliament, managed by the Directorate-General... 011
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 31/08/2026You can find all of the details on his website: crossborderrail.eu/longestjourn... — and of course we will be following and cheering him on here as well. Good luck Jon!crossborderrail.euRecord attempt: Longest train journey in the EU7-11 September: follow the record attempt live! Crowdfunding for this project is now open Rather than a full crowdfunding setup, this time finance will be organised via my newsletter subscription syst... 030
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 31/08/2026Starting next week ERPU co-founder and board member @jonworth.eu is going for a new world record: the fastest time on the longest uninterrupted rail journey in Europe! 6281.6km of train travel from Kemijärvi, Finland to Lagos, Portugal. 2153
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 28/08/2026In addition to that, the membership fees form the basis of our budget to pay for ongoing costs, such as administrative fees, the webserver and tech, and fund future research and advocacy. There's a lot of exciting work ahead and we'd love to have you aboard! 020
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 28/08/2026Registering as a non-profit was an important step for us in solidifying our legitimacy, sustainability, and transparency as an organisation. Part of that legal structure is having a membership base to which we are formally accountable. 120
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 28/08/2026You can now become an official member! erpu.eu/en/become-a-... For only €12 a year you will have a direct say in the future of ERPU. We will, of course, continue to work on behalf of all passengers but, we hope you will formally join us so that we can be an even stronger voice for passengers.erpu.euBecome a member of ERPU 283
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 19/08/2026It's summer, which means a lot of you are probably taking a train somewhere for vacation. Where did you go? Was it a short trip to the seaside? A cross-border journey to see the eclipse? (Or, did you end up driving or flying because the train didn't work out?) 241
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 30/07/2026We just submitted our official feedback on the EU’s proposed Passenger Package: erpu.eu/files/erpu_p... 3 key points: 1. We support the “sharing obligation”. 2. We oppose the “single platform / transaction” requirement. 3. We need clarity on how rights will be realised at the point of disruption. 0116
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 09/06/2026We are looking forward to, together with all of you, contributing in our own small way to furthering those ideals. [6/6] 020
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 09/06/2026It’s the vision of bringing people and communities closer together and the hope of fully realising the promise of freedom of movement for everyone. And, moreover, doing so in a way that embraces the radical shift towards sustainability needed to face the pressing climate crisis. [5/6] 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 09/06/2026On the one hand, our mission as the European Rail Passengers Union is simple. We want better cross-border rail. We want to help people get from point A to point B, regardless of national borders. These are very concrete goals. But behind them lies a bigger ideal. [4/6] 110
European Rail Passengers Union @erpu.eu · 09/06/2026“to promote economic and social progress which is balanced and sustainable, in particular through the creation of an area without internal frontiers […]” Taking this next step as ERPU in a space filled with that animating spirit felt not only appropriate but inspiring. [3/6] 110
