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roel testroote of accept institute: technology ready for international train ticket

By the end of this year there should be a direct train connection between Liège and Aachen via Maastricht and Heerlen. Work is going on behind the scenes on a new ticketing system, which will mean that the hassle with separate tickets and different fares will be a thing of the past. “There are no longer any technical problems”, says Roel Testroote of ACCEPT Institute, the driving force behind such a system. “It’s now up to transport companies and public authorities.”

Cross-border train ticket is on the way

Roel Testroote refrains from political statements. He is, however, convinced that a uniform ticketing system for Belgian, German and Dutch passengers on cross-border trains can be installed on time. “That’s definitely the case. We have carried out an extensive pilot on two bus routes between Aachen and South Limburg, during which more than 450 people have been able to use their chip card for cross-border travel in the various buses. The costs were automatically deducted from their existing online account. The pilot was more than successful. We also received a great deal of positive feedback. The transport companies involved, Arriva and ASEAG, subsequently extended the pilot to avoid disappointing passengers. Rolling this system out to include trains should be no problem. In principle, there’s no difference.”

Solution

It sounds easy: one ticket that is valid in three countries with the same fares for everyone, irrespective of the country in which you live. “However, that’s not the case”, Roel Testroote explains. “Every country has its own rules, passenger categories and fares. Coordinating and agreeing cost time. We don’t get involved in that. However, we have thought up a technical solution with our partners. You cannot use a Dutch public transport chip card in Belgium or Germany, and the reverse also applies. We have now found an alternative solution.”

Account-based travelling

A completely new public transport ticket system was disregarded. “No, passengers do not want yet another ticket and yet another payment system. They do not want any hassle, they just want to travel comfortably and easily. We were therefore looking for something that would work as an add-on or alongside existing systems. An account-based travelling concept, in which the chip card serves only to identify you. For this identification function, a token was added to the various existing national systems. The token is connected to your online account and can be placed on a card, in an app (as barcode) or in the mobile telephone. Transactions are linked to the personal account and payment takes place automatically via the home transport company where the personal online account has been created. Payment can be made on the basis of a ticket purchased in advance, or subsequently on the basis of the check-in/check-out system familiar in the Netherlands. The back office handles the division of payments to the various transport companies. We have now been carrying out trials for more than six months and the system is working very well.”

Software

The introduction of the system on the Aachen-Heerlen-Maastricht-Liège line is not complicated technically. “Software must be installed in the check in and check out points on the platforms or in the card reading equipment in the trains, depending on the system finally selected by the three countries. Passengers will also have to obtain a new one-off card and install an app on the telephone. As far as we are concerned, the system can be rolled out rapidly. The transport companies and the public authorities will have to agree on fares, passenger categories and the registration system. It’s now up to them to take the initiative, after which the practical introduction can start.”

Network

The pilot with the cross-border ticketing system has been financed with European funding from the Horizon 2020 program. It’s hardly surprising that ACCEPT Institute is closely involved in the project. “In 2010, we were set up as a foundation with the name Stichting Open Ticketing to solve the security problems relating to the public transport chip card”, says Roel Testroote. “At the same time, we created a European network to share knowledge about travelling systems. We hold conferences and set up projects. We now work together with 15 organisations in Europe and one in Dubai. The pilot in South Limburg is important to us. It could be the launching pad to better international train connections. There are, of course, more border regions where people would like to travel more easily, to study or to work for instance. Uniform ticketing is just as important as connecting rail tracks and adjusting train schedules. I think that our solution will be another step in the right direction.”

Roel Testroote studied at Erasmus University in Rotterdam and subsequently worked as an official at the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and held various management positions within Trans Link Systems. In 2010, he was asked to design a new security system for Trans Link Systems after the existing public transport chip card system was hacked.

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