EPF conference Berlin 2016

14th Conference and Annual General Meeting of the European Passengers’ Federation
8-10 April 2016, Berlin (Germany)

The events will take place in the “Festsaal” of Berliner Stadtmission (Lehrter Straße 68, 10557 Berlin), in walking distance from Berlin Hauptbahnhof – main station.

The conference will be begin on Friday afternoon with reports and discussion of the work of EPF member associations and discussion of transport issues.

On Saturday morning the conference will be opened by a presentation by Dr. Dieter-Lebrecht Koch MEP on multimodal information and booking systems and activities of the European Parliament in this area. The morning will concentrate on passenger rights in using long-distance coaches and will give views from the European Commission, consumer organizations and the German national enforcement body in this area. The afternoon will be started with an introduction by Michael Cramer MEP concentrating on cross border train connections, followed by detailed examples and discussion.

Sunday will give an opportunity to tour Berlin by public transport or go by cross-border train to Kostrzyn and possibly Gorzow. Berlin is Germany’s vibrant capital. Click here for more information about the city and its transport system.

The EPF conference is an excellent opportunity for public transport users throughout Europe to network, learn from each other’s experiences and have dialogue with important figures in the public transport sphere. Translation facilities are currently being investigated.

Registrations closed!

Programme

(There may be changes due to organisational reasons. This page will be updated whenever needed.)

Friday April 8th: Reports of EPF and its member associations

14.00: Welcome (Trevor Garrod, EPF President)

14.30 – 16.45: Reports from EPF member associations:

  • Arriën Kruyt (Rover)
  • Ian McDonald (Railfuture)
  • Jörg Bruchertseifer (PRO BAHN)
  • Miroslaw Vyka (SCVD)
  • Lars Wiinblad (Passagerpulsen)
  • Jochen Reitstätter (DBV)
  • Anja Schmotz (Initiative deutsch-polnischer Schienenpersonenverkehr (KolejDEPL))
  • Michael Ziesak (VCD)
  • Michel Quidort (FNAUT): 4th Railway Package – what does it mean for Passengers?

16.45 – 17.00: Saturday’s programme

19.00: Welcome dinner at Zollpackhof, close to Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main station)

Saturday April 9th

09.00: Welcome (Trevor Garrod)

09.20 – 11.00:

  • S-Bahn Berlin: information during construction work (Peter Buchner, S-Bahn Berlin)
  • Information and ticketing: multimodal and easy? (Dr. Dieter-Lebrecht Koch MdEP)
  • Passenger rights from the perspective of the EU Commission (Ruth Lopian, EC Unit Passenger Rights)
  • Questions, discussion

11.10: Coffee break

11.30 – 12.45:

  • Long distance coaches: What do the passengers think? (Sabine Fischer-Volk, Verbraucherzentrale Brandenburg)
  • Opportunities and limits of the Passenger Rights Regulation (EU) 181/2011 for long distance coach travellers (Ina Schomaker & Michael Schmitz, German National Enforcement Body for Bus and Coach Transport)
  • Questions, discussion

12.45: Lunch break

14.00 – 16.00:

  • Cross-border travel: the European perspective (Michael Cramer MdEP)
  • Talgo day and night trains in Germany and Europe (Andreas Netzel, Talgo Deutschland GmbH)
  • Cross-border offer from Ceske Drahy (Jan Vávra, CD)
  • Questions, discussion

16.00: Coffee break

16.30: Presentation of EPF work, including EU projects

17.00: Closing remarks, summary, view on Sunday’s programme

17:30 – 18:30: EPF Annual General Meeting

All individual members of EPF member associations are entitled to attend. An agenda will be issued to each association.

19.30: Dinner at Zur Gerichtslaube

Sunday April 10th

Tour A 10.00 – 14.00
Visiting Berlin by public transport, guided tour (possibility to get ooff earlier)

Tour B 8.45 – …
Excursion to Kostrzyn (Poland) including a city tour. Meeting point: 8.45 at Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Lunch not included. Hourly trains back to Berlin.

Costs
Registration fees are the same as for our previous conferences and include documents, drinks and lunch on Saturday. There are extra charges for the Friday evening meal and Sunday excursions.

  • Registration fee for non-members: 120 €
  • Members in EPF organisations and their affiliated associations benefit from a reduced fee: 70 €
  • Registered students (confirmation needed) will be accepted for a reduced fee: 60 €
  • Welcome dinner on Friday (does not include drinks): 35 €
  • Supplement for persons registering after March 25th: 10 €
  • Other costs (Saturday dinner, Sunday excursions, hotels etc.): by participant
Payment
There are three options for payment:

  1. Transfer of your fee to the bank account of EPF (IBAN: BE93 0003 2550 9667 / BIC: BPOT BEB1). Please state the purpose as “Conference 2016”. For transfers from outside the EU, please be responsible for all bank charges (code “OUR”).
  2. If you register on the EPF website, you can also pay with PayPal.
  3. It is also possible to pay in cash on the day. Please do this only if you have no other option. There is an extra fee of 10 euros.
Travel to Berlin
The “Festsaal” of Berliner Stadtmission, where the events take place, is located in walking distance from Berlin Hauptbahnhof – main station. Berlin main station can be reached with good public transport from both Berlin airports.

The welcome dinner on Friday night (19.00) is booked at Zollpackhof, close to Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main station).

Overnight accommodation

EPF has a group reservation of 20 family rooms in Jugendgästehaus am Berliner Hauptbahnhof (Lehrter Straße 68,10557 Berlin). The rooms have a shower and a toilet. Price per room is 65€ (for 1 person) or 84€ (2 persons). Breakfast is included. This offer has been extended until 16 February 2016. If you are interested, please contact the Jugendgästehaus (tel. +49 (0)30 398350-0 or gaestehaus@berliner-stadtmission.de) and don’t forget to mention our group name: Abruf EPF 080416.

Of course, you can also use services such as Booking.com, Trivago or Hotelscombined to find more hotels in Berlin.

“EPF comprises 35 associations or bodies in 20 European countries, whose individual members are welcome to attend the annual general meeting and conference. Only official EPF delegates are allowed to vote on internal matters. Visitors are also welcome at the conference and seminar and do not have to be members. The speakers and discussion should enable EPF and its constituent bodies to strengthen their work representing all public transport customers over the coming year. The event also provides excellent opportunities for members from across Europe to network and learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to meeting you in Berlin and to an interesting event.”
Trevor Garrod, President