The European Commission proposed new rail regulations requiring single-ticket purchases for cross-border journeys and stronger passenger protections when trains are late or canceled, with the rules set to take effect before the end of the decade. The proposals must be agreed by EU member states and the European Parliament before they become law.

Under the plans, major railway companies such as Deutsche Bahn, SNCF and Trenitalia would be required to sell competitors' tickets on their websites and share data with booking platforms to enable single-ticket offers for long cross-border journeys. Passengers would be entitled to assistance in the event of a missed connection, with the operator that caused the delay ensuring the passenger can board the next train or receive reimbursement, food and accommodation depending on the circumstances.

"Europeans will be able with the click of a button to plan, compare and purchase multimodal journeys across borders while benefiting from stronger rail passenger rights, greater transparency and better protection every step of the way," EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said. He added, "Before the end of this commission mandate [in 2029] we will have this new era of rail on the ground working."

Tzitzikostas predicted that ticket prices would fall as a result of greater transparency and competition. "As booking becomes simpler we expect more Europeans to choose rail more often," he said.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies opposed the plans. "Underneath the surface of this rosy vision lies unprecedented and unjustified regulatory interventionism," the organisation said. It also said the plans would give too much power to large tech companies operating as booking platforms, enabling them "to dictate higher distribution fees and drive up ticket prices." The organisation cited a Eurobarometer survey that found 73% of people said it was easy to book two or more connecting trains for one journey, while 43% of respondents had not booked such journeys.

"Why does crossing EU borders by rail require five tabs, three apps and a prayer?" Austrian Green MEP Lena Schilling said. She said the proposals needed to deliver on three points: "Seamless cross-border booking across Europe, full passenger rights and clear liability for the entire journey, and open access to ticketing data so travellers can book on the platform of their choice."

A 2025 YouGov poll of seven European countries found that two out of three long-distance rail passengers encountered difficulties when buying tickets, and 43% of respondents said they would take a train more often if ticket reservations were easier. A separate university study found that booking a train took 70% longer than booking a flight. A 2025 Greenpeace study found flights were cheaper than trains on 54% of 109 cross-border routes, with rail travel tending to be more expensive when multiple operators and tickets were involved, and identified France, the UK, Spain and Italy among the most expensive countries for cross-border rail.