Rights of passengers travelling in or from the EU by train

Last update: 19-03-2026

Right to transport, tickets and fares

Railway undertakings and station managers will establish non-discriminatory access rules for the transport of persons with disabilities and reduced mobility.

Reservations and tickets will be offered to persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility at no additional cost. They may not be denied a reservation or the issue of a ticket, nor may they be required to travel accompanied by another person, unless this is strictly necessary to comply with the non-discriminatory access rules established by railway undertakings and station managers. If, on the basis of these rules, a reservation or ticket is refused or an accompanying person is required, the railway undertaking, ticket vendor or tour operator making the decision will inform the person with disabilities or the person with reduced mobility concerned in writing of the reasons for the refusal within five working days from the date of the refusal or requirement.

Accessibility to stations and vehicles

When persons with disabilities or reduced mobility leave from, transit through or arrive at a staffed railway station, the station manager will offer assistance free of charge and in such a way that the person in question is able to board the train, transfer to a connecting rail service for which they have a ticket, or alight from the train, without prejudice to non-discriminatory access rules that those station managers must implement.

The provision of assistance is subject to notification of the need for such assistance to the railway undertaking, the station manager, the ticket vendor or the travel operator from whom the ticket was purchased at least 48 hours before the assistance is required.

Loss of or damage to wheelchairs and other mobility equipment

There is no financial limitation if the railway undertaking is liable for any loss of or damage to mobility equipment: in this case, the liability covers the loss of all or part of the mobility equipment or other assistive devices used by persons with disabilities or persons with reduced mobility.

Hand luggage and transport of animals

In the event of death of, or personal injury to, passengers, the carrier will also be liable for any loss or damage resulting from the total or partial loss of, or damage to, items which the passenger carried as hand luggage. In this case, the carrier will pay compensation to the passenger up to a limit of approximately EUR 1 500 per passenger.

Registered luggage

The carrier will be liable for any loss or damage resulting from the total or partial loss of, or damage to, registered luggage.

The carrier will be exempt from this liability when the loss, damage or delay in delivery is attributable to the passenger and to the extent that the loss or damage arises from the special risks inherent in one or more of the following circumstances:

• missing or inadequate packing;
• the special nature of the luggage;
• sending luggage articles that are not acceptable for transport.

In case of total or partial loss of registered luggage, the carrier must pay, to the exclusion of all other damages:

• if the amount of the loss or damage suffered is proven, compensation equal to that amount but not exceeding 80 units of account per kilogram less of the gross weight or 1 200 units of account per item of luggage;
• if the amount of the loss or damage suffered is not proven, compensation calculated as 20 units of account per kilogram less of the gross weight or 300 units of account per item of luggage.

Exclusion of passengers

The railway undertaking is entitled to exclude passengers from its transport vehicles who, by their behaviour, disrupt the order in carriages or endanger transport safety. Access to transport vehicles and waiting rooms may also be denied to persons who do not comply with the security controls established for passenger access to the vehicles.

Without prejudice to any penalties that may be applicable to the infringements, excluded passengers will not be entitled to a refund of the ticket price.

Where the staff of the railway undertaking discovers that a passenger is travelling without a valid ticket, they will require the passenger to pay the ticket price and, if they fail to do so, to leave the train at the station where the train is stopped or, if in transit between two stations, at the next station.

Minimum content of the ticket

The transport document or ticket must contain at least the following information:

• The name of the railway undertaking(s) that will provide the transportation.
• The origin of the journey and time of departure.
• The destination and time of arrival.
• Any transfers that may occur with a change of train, specifying the place and time.
• The car, class and seat number.
• The weight and volume of admitted luggage.
• The ticket price, specifying that all taxes are included.
• The luggage charge, if any.
• Information on insurance or other commercial guarantees covered by the service.
• The deadline for check-in, if any, or for presentation at security checks for access to transport vehicles, if established by the railway infrastructure manager.

However, only the following information will need to be included for local services:

• The name of the railway undertaking(s) that will provide the transportation.
• The origin of the journey
• The destination
• The ticket price, specifying that all taxes are included.

In the event that the transport contract is concluded electronically between the railway undertaking and the passenger, the undertaking must provide the passenger with all the information that would be included on the ticket.

In any event, railway undertakings are required to provide information on the general conditions governing the various types of tickets before the user purchases the ticket.

For their part, users must check that all the details on the ticket are correct, before issuing them, and also keep the ticket until the end of the journey.

Complaints to the railway undertaking and/or to the Railway Infrastructure Administrator

Users, in the event of an incident affecting passengers’ rights in such a way as to constitute a breach of national and Community legislation, may file a complaint with the railway undertaking or the Railway Infrastructure Manager, as appropriate.

The complaint may be filed within three months following events that gave rise to it. Once the complaint has been filed, the railway infrastructure managers or undertakings must provide a reasoned reply within one month of receiving the complaint, indicating, where applicable, the measures to be taken.

Complaints can be made either through the IT applications that both the Infrastructure Manager and the railway undertakings must make available to users on their websites, where tickets can be purchased or reserved, or by using the Complaints Book or complaint forms.

Filing complaints with the Directorate General for Land Transport (DGTT, [Dirección General de Transporte Terrestre]) and deadlines for doing so

The Directorate-General for Land Transport (DGTT) is responsible for ensuring compliance with the obligations established in the Community regulations on the rights and obligations of railway passengers. Passengers can therefore file a complaint with this body in case of incidents constituting a breach of these rules.

However, it is important to know that in order to ensure that your complaint is dealt with properly, you must first submit it to the railway undertaking or to the Infrastructure Manager, as applicable.

If you have not received a reply from the undertaking or the Administrator within one month of submitting your complaint, or if you have received a reply with which you disagree, then you can address your complaint to the DGTT.

National enforcement bodies. Special referral to the Transport Arbitration Boards

Each Member State of the European Union will designate a body or bodies responsible for the enforcement of the rights enshrined in the Community regulations. In Spain, the enforcement bodies of the regulations are the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda and the Departments of Transport of the Autonomous Communities, each within their respective sphere of competence.

In addition, there are Transport Arbitration Boards in the Autonomous Communities and in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, before which users can file a complaint, unless the party subject to the complaint has informed them, prior to the service being provided or the time at which it should have been provided, that they do not accept this form of arbitration.

The Arbitration Board selected by the user must be the competent Board for the place of origin or destination of the transport, or the Board corresponding to the domicile of the undertaking providing the service (provided that it is on Spanish territory), unless it has been expressly agreed in writing that a specific Board has jurisdiction.

Users may also opt for the competent Board in the place where they have their habitual residence if it is within Spanish territory.

It should be noted that Transport Arbitration Boards do not have the status of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies.

More information on Transport Arbitration Boards

All of the above, without prejudice to the competences of the Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare.

Courts of Justice

National legislation provides users with the right to have recourse to the ordinary courts.

Therefore, if you are not fully satisfied with the solution offered by the railway undertaking or if it fails to act in accordance with the rules, you can take your case to the courts of justice by filing a lawsuit against the undertaking to enforce your rights and claim damages, if you think it appropriate.