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.

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. The 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.

Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 provides, inter alia, the information to be supplied by railway undertakings before and during the journey, the arrangements for issuing tickets and reservations, the liability of railway undertakings also with regard to passenger insurance and personal security obligations, the guarantees for persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, the rights of passengers in the event of delays or cancellations 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 of Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 on rail passenger rights and for the imposition of the sanctions provided for under Legislative Decree No 70 of 17 April 2014.

For the purposes of implementation of the above-mentioned legislation, in 2014 the Authority has approved the Rules of procedure on sanctioning proceedings for infringements of the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations and receives, through a dedicated online system (SiTe), second-instance complaints, aimed at starting verifications for the purpose of imposing sanctions, if any.

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 consult the Annual Report.