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EUROPEAN PASSENGERS’ FEDERATION AND “NEW EUROSTAR”
For more than a decade, AERA has been an associate member of the European Passengers’ Federation which brings together public transport users’organisations and related bodies in 20 different European countries. EPF is widely recognised as a well-informed independent voice of rail customers, which has regular dialogue with political and transport professionals and decision-makers. In this context we are pleased that EPF representatives from the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany met senior managers of Eurostar and Thalys in Brussels on January 13 th . These two operators are in the process of merging and are sometimes currently referred to us “New Eurostar”.
AERA’s secretary has taken part in an EPF zoom call to draw up the agenda for the meeting. Items for discussion will range over fares and competitiveness, developing onward travel opportunities, border controls, passenger rights and complaint handling. We hope to publish a report of the meeting on this website in due course. It is intended that this top-level meeting will be an annual event, and that specialist groups may also meet (in person or virtually) in between annual meetings to study specific issues.
AERA PROGRAMME
The Association of European Rail Agents meets six times a year in person – normally in Central London – but for most of our meetings it is also possible to participate via Zoom. Our AGMs take place in late January, and these can be elsewhere in the British Isles, or even in Europe.
For most meetings we also have a guest speaker bringing us rail industry updates.
Forthcoming meetings:
May 29 (Thursday) Speakers: t.b.a.
Important note: for this occasion only, we are not able to meet in our usual venue, Doggetts Coat & Badge at the South end of Blackfriars Bridge. On this occasion we will use the Meeting Room at Premier Inn, 638-640 Wandsworth Road, CLAPHAM, SW8 3JW at the usual time – 10:30 for 11:00
Guest Speaker – Dana Moore, Trees4Travel
EUROPEAN YEAR OF RAIL?
2021 was European Year of Rail – though British readers may be forgiven for not knowing, since the fact has been barely publicised in the UK.
It is regrettable that the UK Government has failed to support this initiative during the same year that it jointly hosted the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
BY TRAIN TO GLASGOW?
Trains Are a Safe Way To Travel
Travel with a Rail Pass: How customer-friendly are they?
How customer-friendly are Rail Passes? What are the experiences of customers and how can these be improved? Find out more in our report on Rail Passes!
Click here to read more!
Wanted – IT ASSISTANT for ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEAN RAIL AGENTS
AERA wishes to appoint an IT assistant for the equivalent of one day a month (or: one day every two months). The assistant will invoice us every two months. The remuneration will be negotiable.
The job comprises:
- Keeping the AERA website up to date, deleting out-of-date material and adding new material such as travel advice, details of future meetings, guest speakers and activities as provided by the officers; but the assistant will also be encouraged to suggest items of their own.
(2) Keeping the LinkedIn account up to date and monitoring it.
- The assistant will be provided with minutes of AERA meetings to enable them to suggest material but may also attend some of these, in person or by zoom.
The function of the AERA website is to support the members and provide information for customers and potential customers.
The function of the LinkedIn account is to inform the news media and other outside bodies of the views and experiences of AERA members and their customers.
Further advice on both aspects of the job will be given by the outgoing webmaster.
The appointment will be initially for twelve months. The job could be suitable for any AERAmember or one of their staff.
Please reply to me by May 10th at the latest and if you have any questions about the job.
With best regards,
Trevor Garrod
Hon. Secretary
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