Image: VOLKER Weihbold
This emerges from the new EU regulation “on the rights and obligations of passengers in rail transport”, which came into force on Wednesday. The ÖBB want to interpret the new regulations in an accommodating manner, nothing should change on the Westbahn.
Until now, the regulation has allowed passengers to request 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 adjustment, there are now scenarios in which the right to compensation no longer applies. These include extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, people on the tracks, cable theft, emergencies on the train, law enforcement measures, sabotage or terrorism, said Maria-Theresia Röhsler from the Agency for Passenger and Passenger Rights (apf) on Wednesday in the Ö1 morning journal. Railway companies must prove that such an exceptional reason actually exists.
ÖBB want to interpret new regulations in an accommodating manner
The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) want to interpret the new regulations in an accommodating manner. Extreme weather should 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 in the Ö1 morning journal: “In these cases, however, only a tiny proportion of the passenger rights losses are affected is.”
According to ÖBB, the main reasons for delays are construction sites, delays from abroad and connection delays. “Here compensation will continue because these are not exceptional incidents as provided for in the passenger rights regulation,” said Pinka.
At the Westbahn you don’t want to change anything. The company told ORF that reasons for delays should still not play a role in compensation.
Rebooking now possible
Other changes will also come into effect: If extraordinary circumstances are the cause of the train cancellations, the railway company can in future limit hotel accommodation to a maximum of three nights, according to Article 20 of the regulation.
In addition, if a delay of more than an hour is foreseeable, passengers can also rebook on the train of another provider. In order for compensation to be valid, the application must be submitted within three months instead of the previous one year.
Source: Nachrichten
