Global price
A global price is a special form of tariff classification for travel by rail . An essential characteristic of a global price is that it is a uniform price for ticket, reservation and, if applicable, a surcharge for particularly high-quality trains, sleeping car accommodation, etc. The corresponding tickets are known as Integrated Reservation Tickets (IRT).
Effects
The introduction of global prices for certain trains or train types often means that such trains can no longer be used with regular route tickets. This applies both to tickets at the respective national internal tariff and to international TCV tickets. An exception to this rule is sometimes made for holders of pass offers such as Eurail or InterRail : These customers can purchase an extra ticket for their existing pass, which then only includes the reservation and any surcharges.
The passenger must purchase a separate ticket for every train that is subject to global prices and wants to use it. It is therefore not possible to use continuous tickets for transfer connections.
advantages
Better control of utilization
Global prices enable railway companies to have a good control of the train load without costly passenger counts or the like. to have to perform. In addition, appropriate pricing can also be used to control the system by using special tariffs to encourage passengers to use low-capacity connections (the introduction of the train connection used in Germany, for example, is sufficient for this, of course ).
More comfort through mandatory reservations
The reservation obligation, which is always associated with a global price system, increases travel comfort, as every passenger who is in possession of a ticket valid for the respective train automatically has a reserved seat. This means that the relatively complex and expensive marking of reserved spaces for the railway companies using slips of paper or electronic display systems becomes obsolete.
Simplification of controls
Global prices make checking tickets much easier. By looking at the ticket, the responsible staff can immediately determine whether it was issued for the respective train on the respective travel day.
With classic tariff systems, however, due to various special regulations, it can cause considerable effort to determine the validity of a ticket for certain routes, train types or time periods. This applies in particular to tickets or pass offers issued abroad.
criticism
Passenger associations and railway enthusiasts regularly criticize global price systems, for which various reasons are given.
Lack of flexibility
It is often complained that the introduction of global prices has lost one of the main advantages of traveling by train, namely flexibility. While with classic tariff systems it is usually possible to simply come to the train station , purchase a ticket and then travel to the destination on any train within a certain period of validity, global prices require a certain amount of advance planning and, in the event of changes to travel plans, also a rebooking , since global price tickets only apply to the train for which they were issued and for which the simultaneous reservation was made. In addition, individual trains may be fully booked.
This point of criticism can be partially mitigated by making it possible, in particular, to rebook global price tickets as easily and conveniently as possible. The SNCF, for example, offers special machines (échange minute) for this purpose, which are set up directly on the platforms.
Structural increase in price
The need to purchase a separate ticket for each section of the route can make the total fare more expensive. Since most of the classic price systems contain a degression , i.e. they become cheaper for longer journeys - converted to the kilometer - it is always advantageous to purchase a ticket for the entire route as soon as possible or - if the tariff allows - even combinations with other planned trips to undertake. This is of course not possible with global prices; rather, individual tickets must be purchased for each train used.
Situation in individual countries
Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Both the German railway as well as the ÖBB and SBB are available to the global pricing system rather skeptical. Instead, the traditional tariff system is largely used, in which the passenger purchases a route ticket for the entire journey and, if necessary, makes additional reservations. This is not least due to the fact that only a few trains that require reservation operate in these countries.
In Germany, and to a limited extent also in Austria and Switzerland, there is a train binding system for better control of the train load . However, this is not a global price system, as a train ticket does not include an automatic reservation. In addition, all trains can still be used with non-train-specific route tickets of all kinds.
On various international trains (e.g. in the Thalys , in the Cisalpino and in the Berlin-Warszawa-Express ) as well as in certain night trains, especially in traffic with France and between Austria / Switzerland and Italy, there is a global price obligation.
France
In France, global prices are relatively widespread. All trains that require a reservation, such as the TGV or some Intercités lines, are tariffed in this way. The same applies to all night travel and the international high-speed trains Eurostar , Thalys and TGV Lyria .
Italy
For several years now, Trenitalia has been increasingly focusing on the gradual conversion of its price system in favor of the global price. Most long-distance trains, such as Eurostar Italia and the modernized “ InterCity plus” trains, are now subject to global prices. Normal (not modernized) InterCity trains can currently still be used with regular route tickets and the corresponding surcharge, but these trains will no longer exist after the modernization is complete.
Spain
In Spain all long-distance trains are subject to global prices.
Poland
In the course of improved revenue separation between the long-distance transport company PKP Intercity and the regional company PKP Przewozy Regionalne , global prices were also introduced on certain routes in Poland. Examples are the Berlin-Warszawa-Express and the Stanisław Moniuszko night train between Berlin and Warsaw (both only in international traffic, the global price obligation for the former will be relaxed from June 14, 2009), as well as the night-time intercity bus on the Warsaw-Kaunas route Vilnius.