CIV (rail travel)

Last updated

CIV or International Convention for the transportation of Passengers (French : Convention Internationale pour le transport des Voyageurs) in rail transport refers to a set of uniform rules shared by European railway operators, to cover international journeys.

Contents

Established by the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF), article 3. The full current title is the Uniform Rules concerning the Contract of International Carriage of Passengers by Rail (CGT-CIV, French : Conditions générales de transport pour le transport international ferroviaire des voyageurs), formerly the Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail. Mention of luggage was removed from the title of the CIV Uniform Rules in the 2000 version. [1] It provides equivalent protection to the Warsaw Convention (now Montreal Convention) for international travel by air, and the Athens Convention covering international travel by sea.

The acronym "CIV" is printed on the corner of tickets issued to show that they are covered under the terms of the contract—primarily providing compensation for lost baggage and a guarantee of onward transport, in the event of cancelled or missed connections.

Provisions

The contract covers the passengers, along with any accompanying articles (hand luggage, registered baggage, vehicles and trailers) and live animals. The traveller is responsible for full supervision of animals and their hand luggage.

The conditions cover the rail journey itself, along with any intermediate inland waterway, international ferry or coach transport. The transport carriers are required to deliver the passenger and their luggage to their destination, as shown on their ticket. Alternatives must be provided by the carrier to cover missed or cancelled connections.

Compensation is available in certain circumstances, particularly relating to death, personal injury or lost luggage.

Some accompanied goods may be required to be comply further with the Regulation concerning the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID).

Application in the United Kingdom

Passengers travelling via London to connect with an onward international train, or rail inclusive ferry journey (Rosslare, Dublin, Hook of Holland, or Eurostar to France/Belgium) are able to buy UK domestic segment tickets to the virtual destination London International (CIV), whose station code is LNE. Such London International (CIV) tickets, in principle, are only issued upon presentation of the existing international "CIV"-denoted ticket, but provide additional benefits such as unrestricted peak-time travel and apply the benefits of guaranteed onward connections.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurostar</span> High-speed train service between the UK, France, Belgium and Netherlands

Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated separately by Getlink.

The Convention for the Unification of certain rules relating to international carriage by air, commonly known as the Warsaw Convention, is an international convention which regulates liability for international carriage of persons, luggage, or goods performed by aircraft for reward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coach (bus)</span> Bus used for longer-distance service


A coach is a bus used for longer-distance service, in contrast to transit buses that are typically used within a single metropolitan region. Often used for touring, intercity, and international bus service, coaches are also used for private charter for various purposes. Coaches are also related and fall under a specific category/type of RVs.

The Montreal Convention is a multilateral treaty adopted by a diplomatic meeting of ICAO member states in 1999. It amended important provisions of the Warsaw Convention's regime concerning compensation for the victims of air disasters. The Convention attempts to re-establish uniformity and predictability of rules relating to the international carriage of passengers, baggage and cargo. Whilst maintaining the core provisions which have served the international air transport community for several decades, the treaty achieves modernization in a number of key areas. It protects passengers by introducing a two-tier liability system that eliminates the previous requirement of proving willful neglect by the air carrier to obtain more than US$75,000 in damages, which should eliminate or reduce protracted litigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost luggage</span> Travellers accoutrements which fail to reach their intended destination

Lost luggage is luggage conveyed by a public carrier such as an airline, seafaring cruise ship, shipping company, or railway which fails to arrive at the correct destination with the passenger. In the United States, an average of 1 in 150 people have their checked baggage misdirected or left behind each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGV Nord</span> French high-speed railway

The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord, typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French 333-kilometre (207 mi)-long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intermodal passenger transport</span> Places for travelers to transfer from one category of vehicle to another

Intermodal passenger transport, also called mixed-mode commuting, involves using two or more modes of transportation in a journey. Mixed-mode commuting is often used to combine the strengths of various transportation options. A major goal of modern intermodal passenger transport is to reduce dependence on the automobile as the major mode of ground transportation and increase use of public transport. To assist the traveller, various intermodal journey planners such as Rome2rio and Google Transit have been devised to help travellers plan and schedule their journey.

The Night Ferry was an international boat train from London Victoria to Paris Gare du Nord that crossed the English Channel on a train ferry. It ran from 1936 until 1939 when it ceased due to the onset of World War II. It resumed in 1947, ceasing in 1980. It was operated by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits until 1977 and then British Rail.

Airline booking ploys are used by travelers in commercial aviation to lower the price of flying by circumventing airlines' rules about how tickets may be used. They are generally a breach of the contract of carriage between the passenger and the airline, which airlines may try to enforce in various ways.

City Night Line, abbreviated CNL, was a train category of German railway company Deutsche Bahn for overnight passenger train services between Germany and neighbouring European countries. In late 2015, Deutsche Bahn announced that it planned to terminate all night train services in December 2016, and this plan was implemented on 11 December 2016. The service on some CNL routes was replaced by ÖBB Nightjet services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 transatlantic aircraft plot security reaction</span>

This article details the security measures taken in response to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railteam</span>

Railteam B.V. is a closed company with limited liability (B.V.) based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It operates as an alliance of European railway companies in the field of international high-speed rail in Europe, modelled on the airline alliances and was founded in Brussels on 2 July 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paid area</span> Dedicated "inner" zone in a railway station or metro station

In rail transport, the paid area is a dedicated "inner" zone in a railway station or metro station, accessible via turnstiles or other barriers, to get into which, visitors or passengers require a valid ticket, checked smartcard or a pass. A system using paid areas is often called fare control. Passengers are allowed to enter or exit only through a faregate. A paid area usually exists in rapid transit railway stations for separating the train platform from the station exit, ensuring a passenger has paid or prepaid before reaching the railway platform and using any transport service. Such design requires a well-organized railway station layout. In some systems, paid areas are named differently - for example, on railways in the United Kingdom they are called compulsory ticket areas

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Train ticket</span>

A train ticket is a ticket issued by a railwayoperator that enables the bearer to travel on the operator's network or a partner's network. Tickets can authorize the bearer to travel a set itinerary at a specific time, a set itinerary at any time, a set itinerary at multiple times, or an arbitrary itinerary at specific times. The last two categories are often called passes: the former is often sold as a discounted block of trips for commuters; the latter is often sold to vacationers, such as European Eurail passes.

SNCF Connect, formerly OUI.sncf until January 25, 2022, is a subsidiary of SNCF selling passes and point-to-point tickets for rail travel around Europe. It has commercial links to major European rail operators including SNCF, Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn, and Thalys, and is made up of four independent companies in distinct geographical areas. As at 2003, It was the largest French electronic commerce website in volume. One quarter of French SNCF tickets are sold by this website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail</span> Intergovernmental organisation

The Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail, is an intergovernmental organisation that governs international rail transport. As of 2019, 51 European, African, and Near Eastern states are members of OTIF. M. Wolfgang Küpper has been the Secretary general since April 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juxtaposed controls</span>

Juxtaposed controls are a reciprocal arrangement between Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom whereby border controls on certain cross-Channel routes take place before boarding the train or ferry, rather than upon arrival after disembarkation. With the exception of the Eurotunnel Shuttle route, customs checks remain unaffected by juxtaposed immigration controls and continue to take place upon arrival after disembarkation. Belgium, France and the Netherlands are all member states of the European Union and part of the border-free Schengen Area. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, has never participated in the Schengen Area, even when it was a member state of the European Union. As a result, juxtaposed controls aim to increase the convenience and efficiency of border checks when travelling by train or ferry between the Schengen Area and the UK by removing the need for immigration checks on arrival and by streamlining checks on departure. At the same time, juxtaposed controls are intended to detect and prevent illegal immigration. In 2016, there were over 56,000 instances when people were refused entry to the UK at the juxtaposed controls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IZY</span> Low-cost European train service

Izy was a low-cost train service between Brussels and Paris. Services started on 3 April 2016, and ended on 10 July 2022.

The Rail Passenger Rights Regulation 2007 (EC) No 1371/2007 gives railway passengers basic rights in EU law to refunds and minimum levels of service. It has mandatory application, without implementing legislation. Before this many countries, such as the United Kingdom, had no rights set in law for rail passengers. The Regulation creates minimum rights which every member state law, and every rail undertaking, may improve upon.

The Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC) is a commercial agreement between 15 major European rail operators, to allow international train passengers on the next possible train without additional costs, in case of a missed train connection.

References

  1. COTIF, Uniform Rules concerning the Contract of International Carriage of Passengers by Rail (CIV), applicable with effect from 1 July 2006, accessed 21 December 2020