EUROPE will soon introduce
new passenger regulations
for train travel that could
result in longer travelling
times and the inability to
purchase last-minute tickets.
Last week, during the
EU Council of Ministers
for Home Affairs in Malta,
authorities from The
Netherlands, Belgium,
France and the UK, agreed
to start passenger identity
checks on all international
trains. The controls will
be implemented during
the coming months and
will include checking that
the name on the passport
corresponds with the one on
the train ticket.
The four countries also
want to introduce passenger
lists to see whether wanted
criminals or terrorists
are booked on the trains.
Whether it will still be
possible to buy last-minute
tickets remains to be seen.
A firm plan is expected to be
communicated in March.
The new measures are a
direct extension of the EU
PNR directive for airlines,
which was agreed on in
2016 and will see airlines
sharing passengers’ details
on all flights to and from
Europe from April 2018.
Rachael Penaluna,
business manager of Sure
Maritime Travel, says her
agency has warned clients
that it is best to purchase
tickets through the agency
beforehand. “Corporate
travellers will soon have to
be more organised when
they travel, which is not
easy.”
It is unlikely that leisure
travellers will be affected
by the new regulations, as
most packages containing
rail sectors are booked
and purchased prior to
passengers leaving SA, says
Megan D’Arcy, product
manager of kulula holidays.
Theresa Szejwallo, md of
Trafalgar, says the company
is working closely with the
local authorities to discuss
the practical implementation
of this system. “With
the plans we expect to
have in place, we are not
anticipating our guided
holidays to be impacted.”
Transport operators
in Europe have spoken
out against the new
requirement. Eva Böckle,
head of Communications
of CER – the Voice of
European Railways, says:
“The flexibility of travelling
by train will be significantly
reduced and the ticket
sales – currently offered
by numerous European
railway companies – will
be restricted to channels
complying with the new
regulation. Train stations are
not equipped for any kind
of check-in, so complicated
arrangements will have to
be implemented. The railway
staff will need to check the
identity of passengers –
not only those embarking
but also disembarking – at
each stop on the journey.
That will inevitably lead to a
prolonged travelling time.”
