- Booking international rail journeys from UK cities outside London to destinations like Paris is currently fragmented, requiring separate tickets for different legs of the trip, as demonstrated by a Leicester to Paris example.
- Historically, until the 1990s, a simpler 'kilometric tariff' system allowed national rail operators , including British Rail, to offer through fares from UK cities to major European destinations.
- The shift to dynamic pricing by rail operators, influenced by competition from budget airlines, led to the current fragmented ticketing system where each train segment is booked individually.
- The EU is proposing new measures for 'One journey, one ticket, full rights' to create seamless international rail travel within Europe , offering full passenger protection for missed connections on multi-operator journeys.
- Due to the UK's departure from the European Union, these new EU rules for integrated ticketing and passenger protection will not apply to journeys originating in the UK, leaving British travellers to navigate the existing complex system.
IN FULL
Why is it so difficult to travel to and through Europe by train?
