1. Where long-distance or regional rail passenger services are operated by a sole railway undertaking, that undertaking shall offer a through-ticket for those services. For other rail passenger services, railway undertakings shall make all reasonable efforts to offer through-tickets and shall cooperate to that end among themselves.
For the purpose of the first subparagraph the term ‘sole railway undertaking’ shall also include all railway undertakings which are either wholly owned by the same owner or which are wholly-owned subsidiary undertakings of one of the railway undertakings involved.
2. For journeys including one or more connections, the passenger shall be informed prior to purchasing a ticket or tickets whether that ticket or those tickets constitute a through-ticket.
3. For journeys including one or more connections, a ticket or tickets, purchased in a single commercial transaction from a railway undertaking, shall constitute a through-ticket and the railway undertaking shall be liable in accordance with Articles 18, 19 and 20 if the passenger misses one or more connections.
4. Where a ticket or tickets are purchased in a single commercial transaction and the ticket vendor or tour operator has combined the tickets on its own initiative, the ticket vendor or tour operator that sold the ticket or tickets shall be liable to reimburse the total amount paid for that transaction for the ticket or tickets and, moreover, to pay compensation equivalent to 75 % of that amount in the event that the passenger misses one or more connections.
The right to reimbursement or to compensation referred to in the first subparagraph is without prejudice to applicable national law granting passengers further compensation for damage.
5. The liabilities set out in paragraphs 3 and 4 shall not apply if it is mentioned on the tickets, or on another document or electronically in such a manner that allows the passenger to reproduce the information for future reference, that the tickets represent separate transport contracts, and the passenger was informed of this prior to the purchase.
6. The burden of proof that the passenger was provided with the information referred to in this Article shall lie with the railway undertaking, tour operator or ticket vendor that sold the ticket or tickets.
7. The ticket vendors or the tour operators shall be responsible for handling requests and possible complaints of the passenger under paragraph 4. The reimbursement and the compensation referred to in paragraph 4 shall be paid within 30 days after the receipt of the request.