General Rail Passenger Rights

Since 7 June 2023, Regulation (EU) 2021/782 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (hereinafter the Regulation) has applied, establishing the main rights of rail passengers regarding: 

• non-discrimination regarding the conditions of transport; 
• compensation in the event of personal injury, loss of or damage to luggage; 
• compensation and assistance in the event of disruption to rail services; 
• submission of complaints. 

Passengers have the following rights: 

- The right not to be discriminated against on grounds of nationality. Ticket vendors offer contractual conditions and fares to the public without discrimination on grounds of the passenger’s nationality. 

- The right to take a bicycle on board and reserve a space for it, subject to a reasonable charge. Railway undertakings may restrict the carriage of bicycles for safety or operational reasons, such as capacity limits during peak hours, or where carriage is not possible because of the design of the rolling stock. Restrictions may also be imposed in relation to bicycle’s weight or dimensions. 

- The right to receive information in an appropriate format before and during the journey. At the passenger’s request, the following information must be provided before the journey: timetables and conditions for the fastest journey and the lowest fares; the accessibility of trains and services, access conditions and facilities available on board for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility; the capacity for bicycles and the conditions for accessing bicycle spaces; planned disruptions and delays and, where available, real-time information about them; facilities available on board including Wi-Fi and toilets; procedures for reclaiming lost luggage; procedures for submitting complaints. 

At the passengers’ request, information must be provided during the journey regarding: services and facilities available on board; planned and actual disruptions and delays; the main connecting services and relevant connections to other trains; security and safety matters. 

- The right to compensation in the event of a passenger’s death or personal injury, or the loss of or damage to luggage. In the event of a passenger’s death or personal injury, the railway undertaking must make an advance payment to cover immediate economic needs. 
- The right to reimbursement, re-routing or continuation of the journey in the event of delay, cancellation or a missed connection. Where a delay of at least 60 minutes in arrival at the final destination under the transport contract is reasonably expected, passengers may choose:  

• reimbursement of the full cost of the ticket and, where relevant, a return service to the first point of departure;  
• continuation of the journey or re-routing to the destination at the earliest opportunity;  
• continuation of the journey or re-routing at later convenient date. 

If the railway undertaking does not inform the passenger of the available re-routing options within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure time of the delayed or cancelled service or the missed connection, the passenger may arrange alternative travel by rail, coach or bus and claim reimbursement of the necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs incurred. Passengers are also entitled to compensation of  

• 25% of the ticket price for a delay of between 60 and 119 minutes; 
• 50% of the ticket price for a delay of 120 minutes or more. 

Passengers are not entitled to compensation if they were informed of the delay before purchasing the ticket, or if the delay remains below 60 minutes because the journey was continued using another service or the passenger was re-routed. 

Compensation is also not paid in case it can be proved that the delay, missed connection or cancellation was directly caused by, or was inherently linked to: extraordinary circumstances not connected with the operation of the railway, such as extreme weather conditions or a major public health crisis; fault on the part of the passenger; the behaviour of a third party, such as persons on the track, cable theft, an on-board emergency, law enforcement activity, sabotage or terrorism. 

These exemptions do not cover railway employee strikes or acts by another undertaking using the same railway infrastructure. In such cases, the passenger remains entitled to compensation. 

- the right to assistance in the event of a delay of at least 60 minutes or cancellation. Passengers are entitled free of charge to meals and refreshments at reasonable waiting time; hotel or other accommodation where an overnight stay becomes necessary; transport between the railway station and the place of accommodation; and alternative transport to the railway station; an alternative point of departure or the final destination where the train is blocked on the track. 

- the right to submit a complaint. Complaints to a railway undertaking or station manager must be submitted within 3 months of the incident concerned. Within 1 month of receiving the complaint, the railway undertaking or station manager provides a reasoned reply or, in justified cases, informs the passenger of the date by which a reply can be expected. The final reply must be provided within 3 months of receipt of the complaint. 

If the passenger does not receive an appropriate response from the railway undertaking or station manager, they may submit a complaint to a national enforcement body. The body responsible acknowledges receipt of the complaint within 2 weeks. The complaint-handling procedure must not exceed 3 months from the date on which the complaint file is established. In complex cases, this period may be extended to 6 months. The body informs the passenger of the reasons for the extension and of the estimated time needed to complete the procedure. 

- the right to personal security. Railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and station managers take appropriate measures to ensure passengers’ personal security at railway stations and on trains and to manage risks relating to passenger security. 

The Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration is the designated body responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Regulation, and the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority is the designated body that, under the Regulation, handles consumer complaints through out-of-court dispute resolution. The contact details of these bodies are:  

• Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (Lietuvos transporto saugos administracija), Švitrigailos g. 42, 03209 Vilnius, tel. +370 5 278 56 01, e-mail: [email protected]  

• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (Valstybinė vartotojų teisių apsaugos tarnyba), A. Goštauto g. 12, 01108 Vilnius, tel. +370 5 262 67 60, e-mail: [email protected]