EU proposes end to ‘five tabs, three apps and a prayer’ for cross-border train bookings
Cross-border train journeys through several European countries are the stuff of many a holidaymaker’s dreams.But the reality of trying to buy the tickets, navigating multiple websites without knowing who can help if a connection is missed, can prove less than relaxing.As one MEP puts it, it can often require “five tabs, three apps and a prayer”.Now, however, the European Commission has proposed that before the end of the decade passengers should be able to buy one ticket for one journey and be better protected when trains are late or cancelled.“Europeans will be able with the click of a button to plan, compare and purchase multimodal journeys across borders while benefiting from stronger rail passenger rights, greater transparency and better protection every step of the way,” the EU transport commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said on Wednesday, as he published new rules intended to transform the “excessively complex” experience he said rail travellers met when booking tickets.
Asked about the timing, he said: “Before the end of this commission mandate [in 2029] we will have this new era of rail on the ground working.”Under the plans, major railway companies, such as Deutsche Bahn, SNCF and Trenitalia, would be forced to sell competitors’ tickets on their websites, and share data with booking platforms enabling an offer of single tickets for long cross-border journeys.In an expansion of consumer protection laws, passengers would be entitled to help in the event of a missed connection: the operator that caused the delay would ensure the passenger has the right to hop on the next train, or reimbursement, food and accommodation, depending on the circumstances.The plans have to be agreed by EU member states and the European parliament before they become law, and they already face stiff opposition from train operators.The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) said: “Underneath the surface of this rosy vision lies unprecedented and unjustified regulatory interventionism.
”The CER said the rail tickets market “largely meets” customer expectations, citing a Eurobarometer survey where 73% of people said it was easy to book two or more connecting trains for one journey.But the same survey also found 43% of total respondents had not booked such journeys.The railway group also argues the plans would give too much power to large tech companies operating as booking platforms, enabling them “to dictate higher distribution fees and drive up ticket prices”.In contrast, consumer groups welcomed the plans.“Booking a rail ticket has become far too complex in recent years.
New EU rules would go a long way to making that easier, by opening up sales on more platforms,” said the head of the European Consumers Organisation, Agustín Reyna.A 2025 YouGov poll of seven European countries found that two out of three long-distance rail passengers encountered difficulties when buying tickets, while 43% said they would take a train more often if ticket reservations were easier.A separate university study found that booking a train took 70% longer than booking a flight.Responding to the charge of regulatory overreach, Tzitzikostas said the proposals were “100% pragmatic” and everyone, including rail companies, would see benefits when they were implemented.Ticket prices, he predicted, would fall as a result because of greater transparency and competition: “As booking becomes simpler we expect more Europeans to choose rail more often.
”A study by Greenpeace in 2025 found flights were cheaper than trains on 54% of 109 cross-border routes.Rail travel also tended to be more expensive when multiple operators and tickets were involved, the NGO said.France, the UK, Spain and Italy were among the most expensive countries for cross-border rail.Lena Schilling, an Austrian Green MEP on the European parliament’s transport committee, said: “Why does crossing EU borders by rail require five tabs, three apps and a prayer?”The proposals, she added, needed to deliver on three points: “Seamless cross-border booking across Europe, full passenger rights and clear liability for the entire journey, and open access to ticketing data so travellers can book on the platform of their choice.”
Milka maker milked shoppers over size of chocolate bars, German court rules
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Global oil inventories falling at record pace amid Iran war; US producer price inflation hits four-year high – as it happened
Global oil stocks are being run down at a record pace as supply losses mount due to the ongoing Iran war, the International Energy Agency has warned.In its latest outlook report, the IEA reports that global oil inventories fell by 129 million barrels in March, and by a further 117 million barrels in April, as countries dipped into their reserves to cover the shortfall following the Middle East conflict.The IEA, which ordered the largest release of government oil reserves in its history in mid-March, reports:double quotation markMore than ten weeks after the war in the Middle East began, mounting supply losses from the Strait of Hormuz are depleting global oil inventories at a record pace.The IEA also forecasts weaker demand this year, as the jump in prices for crude oil and refined products leads to demand destruction.World oil demand is forecast to contract by 420,000 barrels per day this year, to 104m bpd, which is 1
Nissan ponders building cars for Chinese rivals at Sunderland plant
Nissan’s chief executive has confirmed he would consider building cars for other manufacturers at the UK’s largest car factory in Sunderland, amid talks with China’s Chery.Ivan Espinosa said Nissan was “looking at options” for Sunderland and its 6,000 workers as the struggling Japanese carmaker on Wednesday reported steep losses for the year to March.Nissan announced last week it was closing one of its two production lines at Sunderland, in north-east England, because of faltering demand for its vehicles. However, it has held talks to produce vehicles on behalf of Chery, according to industry sources. Chery is pushing aggressively into the UK and Europe with its Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda brands
Lab testing group Intertek to back £10.6bn takeover by Swedish firm EQT
The laboratory testing company Intertek has become the latest FTSE 100 business to agree to a takeover, backing a £10.6bn approach from a private equity firm owned by Sweden’s billionaire Wallenberg family.After rebuffing three previous approaches, Intertek’s board said it was “minded to recommend” the £60-a-share tilt from the Swedish buyout firm EQT to shareholders, if there was a firm offer.The deal is worth £10.6bn including debt, or £9
UK housebuilder Vistry warns of ‘significantly’ lower profits amid Iran war uncertainty
One of the UK’s biggest housebuilders has said its profits will be “significantly” lower, as it was forced to cut prices after heightened uncertainty caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.Vistry’s shares plunged 10.5% in early trading on Wednesday, hitting their lowest level in nearly 15 years, as it told shareholders its first-half profits would be hit by the fallout from the Middle East conflict.In a stock market update hours before its annual general meeting, the housebuilder, which owns Bovis Homes, Countryside and Linden Homes, said circumstances had changed since it last updated investors in March. It said: “The level of macroeconomic uncertainty has increased, and with it the range of potential outcomes for the current year
How new owner became all powerful in ‘high stakes’ attempt to revive former WH Smith chain
Shoppers at WH Smith were once accustomed to being offered cheap chocolate stacked high at the counter while buying their morning newspaper. Now, the chain’s former high street stores have themselves become the subject of a cut-price deal – as the low-profile investment group that snapped them up appears set to pay less than half of the original cash price.The paperclips to books chain had notched up 233 years on the British high street when it was bought by Modella Capital last summer.In less than a year, the future looks very different for the chain, which was hastily rebranded to TG Jones. First established in Little Grosvenor Street in London by Henry Walton Smith and his wife, Anna, WH Smith grew rapidly in the 19th century, building a newspaper distribution business as the railway network expanded
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