Passenger Indemnification and assistance

Has your train been delayed or cancelled, or are you dissatisfied with the guaranteed quality of transport? Within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2021/782 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2021 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations, the General Conditions of Carriage (GCC-CIV/PRR), the Tariff and Transport Conditions of České dráhy for International Transport (TPPM), and the Contractual Transport Conditions of České dráhy for Public Passenger Railway Transport (SPPO), České dráhy provides compensation in international and domestic transport for train delays of 60 minutes or more, or 120 minutes or more, and for failure to meet selected transport standards.

What compensation will we provide?

• compensation amounting to 25% of the fare price, if the total price of one ticket for a single journey for one passenger is at least EUR 16 in international transport or CZK 360 in domestic transport, in the form of a voucher or, at the passenger's request, by bank transfer to the passenger's account for a delay of 60 to 119 minutes,
• compensation amounting to 50% of the fare price, if the total price of one ticket for a single journey for one passenger is at least EUR 8 in international transport or CZK 180 in domestic transport, in the form of a voucher or, at the passenger's request, by bank transfer to the passenger's account for a delay of 120 minutes or more,
• compensation for eTickets with a fare according to the ČD Tariff, which were purchased in the Můj vlak application or in the ČD e-shop, is not limited by the minimum fare price mentioned above,
• special conditions apply for time tickets (season tickets) (see SPPO).
   

Assistance to passengers

• If you were unable to continue to your destination station on the same day due to a delay, cancellation, or missed connecting train, you are entitled to return to your departure station or to alternative transport to the location of the destination station. This may be operative replacement transport provided by ČD (e.g., bus or other means of transport) or public transport or taxi service, for which authorization is issued by an authorized ČD employee.
• If it is not possible to complete the transport using alternative transport, and if it is feasible under the given circumstances, an authorized ČD employee will provide you with an accommodation voucher for a contracted accommodation facility free of charge, or you are entitled to reasonable reimbursement for accommodation and notification of waiting persons, including necessary transfer to the place of accommodation (authorization issued by an authorized ČD employee).
• In the event of a delay in arrival or departure of the train by more than 1 hour, ČD will provide you with refreshments in a quantity corresponding to the waiting time, if available on the train or at the station, or if they can be supplied under reasonable circumstances. Refreshments are generally provided in the form of a voucher, which can be redeemed until 23:59 on the following day at contractual partners.
• More detailed information will be provided by the conductor of the delayed train, ČD employees at the station, or operators of the Central Customer Service at tel. 221 111 122.
• If you have not received information about a further method of transport within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure of the delayed or cancelled train or connecting train, you may, based on your own decision, continue the journey with other providers of public rail, coach, or bus transport. If public mass transport can be used, taxi services cannot be used.
• You have the right to reimbursement of necessary costs for alternative transport. For reimbursement, it is necessary to send the originals of the payment receipts together with the originals of the relevant ČD documents or the number of the card on whose chip the documents were loaded, and the granted consent number, if issued, to the address České dráhy, a.s. – OPT Olomouc, oddělení podílování, odúčtování a urovnání vztahů, Vídeňská 15, 772 11 Olomouc, www.cd.cz or hand them in at a ČD ticket counter.
   

How to claim compensation?  

1. If you hold travel documents purchased from a carrier other than ČD, please contact the carrier that issued the document, see the list of contacts for foreign carriers.
2. If you are claiming compensation for a train delay based on a ČD travel document, you can use one of the following options:
   
   a) automatic compensation for eTickets if the eTicket was:
   •    paid by payment card or from a ČD Credit account,
   •    with a one-way fare according to the ČD Tariff,
   •    with a connection used without a transfer,
   •    checked (scanned) and recognized as valid by the conductor on the delayed train.
   •    Compensation will be paid automatically to the account from which the eTicket was paid. If the payment is not credited to the account within 30 days of the end of the document's validity, we recommend requesting compensation using the methods listed below.
   
   
   b) electronically by filling in the on-line compensation claim form, to which you attach a file with the relevant documents (e.g., PDF, photograph, scan, etc.),
   
   c) in the Můj vlak mobile application, you submit a compensation request electronically directly from the overview of purchased tickets,
   
   d) at a ticket counter after submitting a completed application form together with the originals of the relevant documents, whereby the eTicket must be printed from the PDF file on white A4 paper (in the original unchanged size); the form can be obtained at the ticket counter or downloaded here: compensation claim form for download, send the completed compensation claim form together with the originals of the relevant documents to the address: České dráhy, a.s. – Odúčtovna přepravních tržeb, Oddělení podílování, odúčtování a urovnání vztahů, Vídeňská 15, 772 11 Olomouc.
   
   e) a claim for compensation can also be submitted on a standardized form issued pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2021/782 of the European Parliament and of the Council  
   
    
3. Processing of your request may be expedited by attaching documents or confirmation of the journey made (e.g., seat reservation, confirmation of delay, etc.).
4. A claim for compensation must be made no later than one year after the expiration of your travel document.

How is the request processed?

After reviewing the claim for compensation, and if it is recognized (receipt of the application does not automatically mean recognition of the claim), the carrier will issue you a voucher that you can use with the same carrier, or the carrier will compensate you for the costs associated with the use of alternative transport or accommodation. 

At your request, compensation will be paid to you by bank transfer instead of a voucher. Your request will be processed within 1 month from the date of submission.
 

What is a voucher?

A voucher is a form of financial compensation to a passenger for delay, missed connection, cancellation of a connection, etc., and is sent to the passenger at their e-mail address in the form of an alphanumeric code or by post to their address. The voucher is valid for 3 years from its issuance and can be redeemed when purchasing ČD or SJT (OneTicket) travel and reservation documents at the ticket counter, in the ČD e-shop, in the Můj vlak application, when paying the conductor, or at selected ČD ticket machines.

Were selected transport standards not met?

On ČD trains, you are entitled to a one-off compensation of CZK 70 in the form of a discount on your next purchase, which the conductor of the given train will issue directly on the train upon request (retroactive issuance of compensation is not possible). You are entitled to compensation if you prove yourself with a valid ČD document and at least one of the following standards or transport comforts was not met on a ČD train of the fast train (rychlík), InterCity, EuroCity, SuperCity, railjet, EuroNight, and nightjet category:

• the planned number of carriages was not met (either fewer carriages were included in the train set, or carriages with a lower seating capacity) and a passenger with a valid travel document stood for this reason, even if only for part of the route,
• in a carriage included according to the carriage arrangement plan with the indicated 230 V socket pictogram, 230 V sockets are missing and a passenger with a valid seat reservation for this carriage cannot be relocated to a seat of the same category in another carriage of the same train with a functional 230 V socket,
• in a carriage included according to the carriage arrangement plan with the indicated WiFi pictogram, the WiFi internet connection is not functional for reasons on the part of ČD and a passenger with a valid seat reservation for this carriage cannot be relocated to a seat of the same category in another carriage of the same train with a functional WiFi internet connection,
• in a carriage included according to the carriage arrangement plan, thermal comfort was not maintained due to malfunctioning air conditioning, forced ventilation, heating, or the impossibility of opening a window, and the passenger cannot be relocated to a seat of the same category in another carriage of the same train with functional ventilation or functional air conditioning or heating or the possibility of opening a window.
  
  Furthermore, a passenger is entitled to compensation if a 1st class carriage was not included in a train of any category, even if only for part of the route, although it should have been included in the given section according to the carriage arrangement plan, and the passenger proves themselves with a document valid in 1st class for the given train and section according to any tariff.

Compensation for discomfort is valid for 1 year and during its validity, it can be used for payment:

• at the ticket counter for domestic or international ČD documents, sleeper or couchette supplements, seat reservations, ČD applications, SJT (OneTicket) tickets
• on the train with the conductor for domestic ČD documents, SJT (OneTicket) tickets
• at selected ČD ticket machines for domestic ČD documents, SJT (OneTicket) tickets
• on the e-shop and in the Můj vlak application for domestic or international ČD documents, sleeper or couchette supplements, seat reservations, ČD applications, SJT (OneTicket) tickets
         
• on the train in which it was issued, for payment of ČD Minibar services A maximum of 5 pieces of Compensation for failure to meet selected standards can be used for one payment.

A maximum of 5 pieces of Compensation for failure to meet selected standards can be used for one payment.

Was your seat not available on the train?

• If, in domestic transport, a carriage with the seat for which you had a reservation was not included in the train, and you sat in a different place, you can request a refund of the price paid for the seat reservation. If no seat on the train was assigned to you within 15 minutes of departure, you are entitled to a payment of five times the price of the paid seat reservation. To process the refund, it is necessary to submit, along with the seat reservation, a confirmation issued to you by the conductor of the affected train. 
• If, in international transport, no seat was assigned to you on the train for which you had purchased an international seat reservation from ČD, even if only for part of the route, you are entitled to compensation of EUR 6 for each unassigned seat for which you had an international reservation.

Supervision of passenger rights 

The Rail Authority (www.ducr.cz/cs), as a state administration body, supervises the fulfillment of obligations regarding compliance with passenger rights in rail transport according to the directly applicable regulation of the European Community and handles complaints about violations of these obligations.

Agreement between railways on the mutual recognition of tickets in the event of a missed connection for tickets representing a separate transport contract in international transport (AJC)

Beyond EU Regulation No. 782/2021 (on rail passengers’ rights and obligations), based on a multilateral agreement between participating carriers, a passenger may, in the event of a missed connection, use the next suitable train, even though the travel documents for these trains represent separate transport contracts (the passenger has issued 2 or more consecutive travel documents – separate transport contracts, e.g., a ČD Bound ticket issued for domestic transport and a Sparschiene International ticket). It must always involve the same carriers for which the ticket was issued.

If a connection in international transport is broken and the passenger has the relevant confirmation of the delay (e.g., on the back of the travel document, or issued separately), they may use the following suitable train, including a train with mandatory reservation (in case of sufficient capacity).

On night trains, the passenger has the right to use only seats; any sleeper and couchette supplements must be paid in full.

The agreement was concluded by the following carriers:
BLS and SBB/CFF (Switzerland), ČD, CFL (Luxembourg), DB (Germany), DSB (Denmark), from 1.9.2024 Eurostar International Ltd (EIL), GYSEV and MÁV (Hungary), HŽPP (Croatia), LT (Lithuania): LTG Link, NS (Netherlands), ÖBB (Austria), PKP IC (Poland), Renfe (Spain), SJ (Sweden), SNCB/NMBS (Belgium), from 1.9.2024 THI Factory SA (THIF) (Belgium), SNCF (France), SZ (Slovenia), Trenitalia (Italy), ZSSK (Slovakia). 

In the event that you are traveling on a delayed train and wish to use the agreement, request a confirmation of the delay on the delayed train, or at the station.

More about the agreement can be found here Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC) (cer.be)