Rail transport

ART is the national body responsible for the assessment of the infringements of the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 on rail passengers’ rights, as well as Regulation (EU) 2021/782 (applicable from 7 June 2023).

Watch the video-tutorial on rail passengers’ rights (in Italian language).

For further information, please visit and use:

• the information pages of the European Commissionon Passenger Rights (Single Digital Gateway);
• the Authority’s FAQ (in Italian language);
• ART digital assistant “SmARTbot” (in Italian language), accessible from the homepage of the website.

REFERENCE LEGISLATION

EU Regulation

EU legislation regulates rail passengers’ rights and obligations based on Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 and the interpretative guidelines of the European Commission. Regulation (EU) 2021/782 applies from 7 June 2023. The EU legislative framework is aimed at providing better protection of rail passengers while ensuring more reliable and quality rail services, defining the rights of the users of rail services and the obligations of the undertakings operating in the sector.

Rail passenger rights apply to all rail passenger journeys and services carried out in the EU provided by one or more licensed railway undertakings. Member States may provide for exemptions for urban, suburban, and regional rail passenger services. No exemptions are provided for in Italy.

The above Regulations provide, inter alia, rights concerning: the information to be supplied by railway undertakings before and during the journey, the arrangements for issuing tickets and the so-called “through-tickets”, the transport of bicycles, the liability of railway undertakings also with regard to passenger insurance and personal security obligations, the guarantees for persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, re-routing, assistance, information, compensation and reimbursement in the event of delay, missed connection or cancellation and the definition and monitoring of service quality standards, the deadlines to respond to complaints.

Implementation of the EU Regulation in Italy

The Transport Regulation Authority is responsible for the assessment of the infringements of the provisions concerning rail passengers’ rights and obligations and for the imposition of the sanctions provided for under Legislative Decree No 70 of 17 April 2014.

On 1^st  October 2023 the Authority has published unified rules of procedure for the conduct of sanctioning proceedings concerning passengers’ rights in rail, bus and sea transport.

MINIMUM RIGHTS DEFINED BY THE AUTHORITY

The Authority has also defined the minimum rights that may be claimed by users from transport infrastructure managers and service providers, in particular:

• Decision No 54/2016 — “Measures concerning the minimum rights that may be claimed by passengers holding season tickets from operators of high-speed rail services” — High-Speed season ticket holders.
• Decision No 106/2018 — “Measures concerning the minimum rights that may be claimed from infrastructure managers and rail operators by users of rail transport services subject to public service obligations” — PSO services
• Decision No 28/2021 — Conclusion of proceeding initiated by Decision No 147/2020. Approval of “Measures concerning the minimum rights that may be claimed by users of rail and bus and coach transport services against service providers and managing bodies of the related infrastructure with regard to the handling of complaints” (provisions applicable from the 1^st of January 2022).

For further information on the activities carried out by the Authority for the protection of rail passengers, please refer to the Annual Report.