Passenger Refunds for Train Delays in Croatia After EU Court Ruling

There is good news for train commuters in Croatia who are faced with delays, after the European Court of Justice yesterday said that passengers will be entitled to partial refunds if their trains are delayed, even if its extreme weather causing the delay.

Europe’s highest court in Strasbourg rejected an appeal from an Austrian train company who argued that it was not liable to pay commuters a refund if their trains were delayed because of circumstances beyond their control. EU Train operators under 2007 rules, which Croatian Railways now is part of, are required to refund customers 25% of the ticket price if a train is an hour late, and 50% of the price if it is more than two hours late.

Croatian Railways have sent the decision to their legal department and expect the rules to take effect for them from December 2014.