The SNCF Voyageurs médiation

SNCF Voyageurs Mediation

Mediation is a free and confidential process for customers dissatisfied with a professional’s response to their complaint.

What is mediation?

Consumer mediation is regulated by several legal texts, mainly by the Consumer Code (Articles L 611-1 to L 641-1, Articles R 612-1 to R 616-1). To contact the SNCF Voyageurs Mediator, you must first have submitted a written complaint to which SNCF Voyageurs, Eurostar, or the Corsican Railway has either refused or failed to respond within the following timeframes.

For SNCF Voyageurs:
1 month from the date your written complaint was sent.

For Eurostar and Corsican Railways:
3 months from the date your written complaint was sent. This complaint must not be older than one year.

For disputes between consumers and professionals, mediation aims to resolve the conflict in an independent, impartial, transparent, and fair manner. The process is initiated voluntarily by the consumer and is free of charge.

If your complaint concerns an infraction of the railway transport regulations for the first four classes (Articles R2241-8 to R2241-30 of the Transport Code and prefectural decrees of stations: without a valid ticket, invalid discount, irregular crossing of a control line, non-validated ticket, etc.) recorded by an SNCF Voyageurs agent, you must refer the matter to the Mediator, after the Collection Center, within 3 months of the date of the violation.

The mediation process

Free and confidential

The mediation process is free. Only postal charges and potential fees for paid advice (lawyers) are at your expense. The process is confidential, with the Mediator and their team bound by professional secrecy.

The different steps of the process

When the Mediator receives a request from a client providing all the necessary documents, they notify the parties by email or mail. This notification marks the start of the process.

The Mediator and their team process cases based on the information provided by the parties involved.

For commercial disputes, the response time is 90 days after the notification of receipt of the request mentioned above. The Mediator may extend this period if the dispute is complex and will inform the parties accordingly.

For official reports, submitting the case to the Mediator suspends the transmission of the report to the public prosecutor.

Note:

  • You can withdraw from the mediation process at any time.
  • If your dispute falls outside the Mediator’s jurisdiction, you will be notified within three weeks.

The Mediator issues opinions based on law and equity, either by mail or email, depending on the method of referral. These opinions are provided in French or English, depending on the language in which the case was submitted.

  • Regarding commercial disputes: the opinion serves as a proposal. The parties are free to accept or reject it within 14 days from the date indicated on the opinion. After this period, the opinion will be considered accepted. In the case of an express refusal by one of the parties within this period, the opinion will not be applied, and the other party will be informed of the refusal.
  • Regarding requests related to statements of offense (SNCF Voyageurs): the opinion serves as a proposal. If a reduction in the amount of the statement of offense is agreed upon by both parties, the process continues, and you must pay your fine in accordance with the Mediator’s opinion. If payment is not made, the statement of offense is forwarded to the Public Prosecutor, and the fine is increased.

In both cases, the Mediator’s opinion is final. It cannot be appealed before the Mediator. However, you may bring the matter before any competent court to assert your rights; in the context of such proceedings, the Mediator’s opinion cannot be submitted and will hold no value.

If the claimant refuses to follow the Mediator’s opinion and fails to make payment, judicial proceedings will continue, and the statement of offense will be forwarded to the Public Prosecutor in accordance with Article 529-5 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure.

The Mediator’s Mission

The Mediator carries out her mission with complete impartiality and, as such, is provided with a separate and sufficient budget as well as a dedicated team.

She operates in accordance with the provisions of the Consumer Code related to consumer mediation and the Mediation Protocol signed on july 1, 2025.

Download the Protocol