PASSAGE

Project description

The PASSAGE project brings UIC members together to address their obligations arising from Passenger Rights Regulations (EU Regulation 1371/2007 [PRR]). These cover the rights of People with Reduced Mobility (PRM), including Disabled People. Whilst the PASSAGE project has touched upon issues to do with age the predominant concern of PASSAGE has been to address the need to improve services for disabled passengers in the context of this legislation and new legislation requirements.

The PASSAGE objectives are:

• To create and safeguard professional exchange among the railways related to concrete measures aimed at improving accessibility for PRM
• To make transparent practical solutions how to response to a given problem in a most cost-effective manner and so to provide support for those members who are still at the very beginning of creating accessibility for PRM
• To address the interface between the requirements of legal stipulations and the practical management and delivery of rails services to older and disabled passengers
• To learn from practice other transport industries and evaluate the extent to which their solutions may be appropriate for Railway Undertakings
• To regard PRM as a target group of commercial interests

PASSAGE came into being because we recognised, as railway companies, that we had a common interest and a common purpose not only in fulfilling the legislation requirements but also in developing better practices and sharing these together in order to take better decisions and provide a better service to our customers.

In many EU member states, cross border traffic is very high e.g. Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany. In other member states, considerable investment has been made in improving rail access even if the amount of cross border traffic is relatively low e.g., Great Britain, Sweden.