AJC – a European agreement to help passengers in the event of a missed connection
When travelling by train through Europe, you will probably need to make a connection or two. You should be able to count on arriving at your final destination. That's why SJ and 15 other European train operators cooperate so that you can easily get help if you miss a connection due to a delay.
AJC ("Agreement on Journey Continuation") is a multilateral agreement to assist international rail passengers to the next possible connection at no extra cost.
The train operators within the AJC cooperation are BLS (Switzerland), CD (Czech Republic), CFL (Luxembourg), DB (Germany), DSB (Denmark), MÁV-START (Hungary), NS (Netherlands), ÖBB (Austria), Renfe (Spain), SJ (Sweden), SBB/CFF/FFS (Switzerland), SNCB (Belgium), SNCF (France), SZ (Slovenia), Trenitalia (Italy) and ZSSK (Slovakia).
What AJC means for you as a passenger
If you have bought a cross-border journey that involves at least two AJC operators and your first leg of the journey runs late and you miss your connection, you will get assistance in order to be able to travel onward. To be entitled to help, you must have booked your journey with sufficient layover time.
The train staff on board the delayed train will issue you a certificate of delay. When you reach the station where you were supposed to make your connection, you present the certificate to the customer service staff of the train operator of the next leg of your journey. The staff will guide you to the next available departure for your final destination and will also make any necessary seat reservations.
You are entitled to assistance if:
- It is an international journey where you travel cross border.
- The train operators you are travelling with are part of the AJC agreement.
- You have planned for sufficient layover time when you booked your journey (designated layover time suggested by the booking system at the time of purchase).
- Your tickets are separate contracts of carriage.
You are entitled to:
- If you miss your connection, you may, subject to available seats, travel with the next departure operated by the same train operator as included in the original ticket.
- If the new departure requires a seat reservation, the customer service staff will reserve a seat for you, at no extra cost.
- You may request compensation for the leg of the journey that was actually delayed (not the entire trip), in accordance with the regular terms and conditions of the respective train operator.
Information brochure about AJC from the International Rail Transport Committee [pdf) [pdf]
Example of how it can work in practice
You are travelling with SJ EuroNight from Stockholm to Hamburg and have a connection in Hamburg to travel with DB to Munich. SJ EuroNight is delayed and you miss your connection from Hamburg to Munich.
You contact the train attendant on board SJ EuroNight and tell them that you will miss your connection with DB and ask for a delay certificate. When you arrive in Hamburg, you go to the DB ticket office, present your delay certificate and your DB ticket for travel to Munich. DB staff will double-check you had planned for sufficient layover time and inform you about which DB train to Munich you can travel with instead. If that departure requires a reserved seat, the DB staff will make a reservation for you at no extra cost. Onboard the train, show your original ticket (and any new seat reservation) and your delay certificate.
When you return home from the trip, you can request compensation for the delayed journey between Stockholm and Hamburg from SJ.
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