German rail operator to simplify train ticket buying across Europe

Yahoo

27-05-2025

Buying tickets for train journeys across Europe is set to become easier for people living in Germany starting this autumn, according to German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB).
The move is seen by some as a step toward better integration of Europe's numerous national railway systems.
Starting at the end of 2026, DB promises that "tickets for all major railways in our neighbouring countries will be available" via its website or its app.
"International long-distance travel is booming," Michael Peterson, DB's head of long-distance transport, told dpa.
He noted that 2024 was the strongest year in this sector for the German railway, with a 22% growth compared to the pre-Covid year of 2019.
No integrated European rail network
While DB continues to add new connections to its portfolio, such as the recent introduction of ICE high-speed train service between Berlin and Paris, there are still numerous issues with train travel in Europe.
"There is no integrated European rail network," said Green Party politician Matthias Gastel, a Bundestag member who has been focused on railways for years and sits on the supervisory board of DB's infrastructure subsidiary InfraGo.
Problems often begin with ticket purchases. For cross-border journeys, multiple tickets are often required, each purchased separately. This is not only inconvenient but also means passenger rights, such as compensation for missed connections, do not apply.
Tickets from competitors like Flix are not available through DB, which Gastel attributes to DB demanding "horrendously high commissions" designed to dampen the competition.
"Problems often arise when a railway line reaches a national border," said Sebastian Wilken, who writes about international train travel on his blog Zugpost. These issues include power supply, signalling and safety systems, track gauge differences and even the language skills of train drivers.
At least ticket purchasing is set to become simpler. European railways agreed years ago to implement the Open Sales and Distribution Model or OSDM interface standard.
DB's Peterson described it as "the language through which European railways and sales service providers exchange their data." This will give DB access to the complete ticket portfolio of participating railways and vice versa.
Soon, one ticket from Oslo to Athens
DB access will initially start this autumn, when the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) are set to be made available. New partners are expected to join monthly.
"We expect that by the end of next year, Europe will be almost comprehensively connected," said Peterson.
Then booking tickets across Europe – whether from Oslo to Athens or Warsaw to Barcelona – will be possible in a single step. Lower-cost tickets via DB competitor Flix will not be available on this system.
In response to an inquiry, the company said: "OSDM offers some positive features but also presents challenges – particularly for new market entrants." It cited costs and the complexity of implementation as examples.
According to DB, its customers will benefit in several ways, including being able to receive direct price information. "Railways will be able to access and combine the low prices of other railways," DB's Peterson said.
During the journey, passengers will receive updates via their mobile phones and tickets for regional transport abroad will also become easier to purchase.
EU train integration slow to develop but needed
The Green Party's rail expert Gastel acknowledged developments, but said progress is too slow.
"It is happening very slowly and it is incredibly laborious, cumbersome and expensive. There are simply far too many obstacles on the tracks."
The European Union has long recognized the problem. New connections, such as the planned Munich-Rome route, are supported by the European Commission.
However, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has noted that cross-border rail travel remains too complicated for many citizens.
"People should be able to use open booking systems to purchase trans-European journeys from multiple providers without losing their right to refunds or alternative travel," she has noted.
The European Commission plans to propose legislation for "uniform digital booking and ticketing services" intended to ensure that "Europeans can buy a single ticket on a single platform and exercise their passenger rights for the entire journey."
DB's Peterson says he is not worried about additional rules. "I have absolutely no concerns about what the European Commission wants to regulate because we share the same goals," he told dpa.
However, he noted that the Commission intends to mandate a different standard than OSDM. "My only concern is that we have invested years in OSDM, implemented it in IT – which costs money and time – and that the EU might not introduce corresponding regulations before 2026."