The Regulation (EC) N°1371/2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligation brought a set of common minimal rules for all persons travelling by train in Europe. It includes a specific chapter on the rights of passengers with disabilities and passengers with reduced mobility.
In its 2013 report on the application of the Regulation, the European Commission highlighted certain problematic areas which were confirmed by an impact assessment in 2016/2017. In 2017, the Commission tabled a proposal (COM/2017/0548 final - 2017/0237 (COD)) for a modernised regulation, with the aim namely to significantly improve the rights of passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility.
This article describes the essential elements of the existing Regulation and of its proposed recast, from the point of view of visually impaired persons (hereafter “VIPs”).