SNCF will continue to compensate its users in the event of delays due to exceptional circumstances. However, a new European text allows him to remove these refunds from this Wednesday, reports Le Parisien.

Today, the SNCF allows passengers to obtain financial compensation of up to 25% of the ticket price in the event of a delay of more than one hour. This compensation even reaches 50% of the ticket price if the delay exceeds two hours. The circumstances used for this compensation are climatic hazards and human hazards, also called "passenger incidents".

A relief for travelers

But since Wednesday, a European text that came into force in France allows railway companies to no longer reimburse or compensate passengers in the event of "exceptional circumstances", beyond their control. A measure that should allow companies to save money.

Contrary to this text, the SNCF has decided to keep its compensation rules in the event of exceptional circumstances. "We will continue to compensate travelers as today, including for exceptional external causes," said the French company, which already partially reimburses its users in the event of a delay of more than 30 minutes.



The decision delighted the National Federation of Transport Users Associations (Fnaut), which however points to the entry into force of this text in France. "The government has retained most of the possible exceptions," explains the vice-president of Fnaut to Le Parisien, denouncing the alignment of railway law with air law "while a railway company [...] is not subject to the vagaries of the weather like an airline."

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