On 5 and 6 October 2023, 13 participants met in-person at the CD headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic, with 9 participants joining online. The two-day meeting was chaired by Anton Pylypchuk of UZ. Of the participants, nine were East West Tariff carriers (CD, CFR, DB, LTG, MAV, OBB, PKP, UZ, ZSSK) as well as experts from UIC, SPG, RCF1 and CIT being in attendance.
On the first day, SPG chairman Christian Walkling (DB) informed the participants that, in line with Action 5 of the CER Ticketing Road Map, understandable and harmonised conditions for ticketing should be implemented across Europe, as well as for EWT tickets, provided that they are part of a single international European journey. He then explained the current discussion on DRTF tariff data, and that the mandatory upload can be pushed back closer to the annual due date for implementing the winter train schedule, in order to increase data quality. Furthermore, as the OSDM online implementation process is ongoing, the back-office IRS 10106 will soon be supplemented with relevant regulations to that end.
To settle the reimbursement, partial reimbursement, re-routing in the case of delay, or train cancellation issues for an East-West through ticket, the EWT members were advised by CIT to either join the Agreement concerning the Relationships between Transport Undertakings in respect of International Passenger Traffic by Rail (AIV) or conclude bilateral agreements.
The Special international conditions of carriage for journeys using East-West-Traffic Tickets (SCIC-EWT) have been revised by the working group, with the glossary now containing definitions linked to through-ticket applications in the EU territory and with East-West connections. The amendments to SCIC on the application of reductions for standard child, dog and bicycle NRT/EWT fares, which were preliminarily aligned with the SCIC-NRT, were discussed and approved at the meeting and now comply with the European antitrust and competition law. Master version 5 of the SCIC-EWT will be released on 20 October 2023.
SCIC-EWT Section D “Liability provisions” will be amended by CIT for CIV carriers following a discussion at withing the CIV Working Group in November 2023. Meanwhile, CIT Legal Expert, Jan Vavra addressed the Agreement on International Passenger Transport by Rail (SMPS) carriers with an official CIT request to SMPS legal experts, with the aim of rethinking and updating the SMPS section on carrier liability in case of damage to passenger life, health, or the loss of luggage.
All participants agreed to continue to discuss and improve the SCIT-EWT during the next EWT plenary meeting on 17 April 2024.
