European court tells train firms to pay for delays
The European Union’s top court has said railway operators should compensate passengers for delays even if the cause is beyond the company’s control.
The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that Austrian railway operator OBB’s policy exempting it from paying compensation for delays caused by acts of nature such as bad weather is invalid.
The court said passengers should receive compensation as they do for delays caused by all firms’ own operations. Under EU rules, railway operators must reimburse a quarter of the ticket price for delays of as long as two hours, and 50 per cent for longer delays.