Rail Europe (company)

It has been suggested that this article be merged into Rail Europe, Inc.. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2021.

Rail Europe is a distributor of European rail products, representing over 50 railways throughout Europe.^[1] Rail Europe's history of doing business in North America dates back to the 1930s. In 1959, the company introduced the Eurail Pass to the North American market.^[2]

The company expanded into Australasia in 1995. In the early 2000s, it continued to grow with representation in South America and South Africa, culminating in a new customer support team in Mumbai, India in 2010.^[3] Rail Europe grew internationally by acquiring Rail Plus in Australia and New Zealand in 2016 and British train booking platform Loco2.com in 2017. Rail Europe became the international business unit of e.Voyageurs SNCF and No.1 distributor of train tickets and passes. The company is headquartered in La Défense, France, and has subsidiaries in London, UK, Melbourne, Australia; Mumbai, India, Shanghai, China, and White Plains, New York. The company's core products include European rail passes and train tickets. Rail Europe offers a wide range of international high-speed train tickets including Eurostar, TGV, Italo, and Le Frecce. Tickets for local and regional trains in Europe are also available.^[4]

Markets and channels[]

Rail Europe serves travelers directly, as well as travel agencies.

Travelers can book directly through Rail Europe's website (B2C). Rail Europe has developed an iPhone and Android app. It allows travelers to choose a route or download train timetables, and allows travelers holding European rail passes to make a seat reservation from their phones. The company also has a mobile version of its website.

Rail Europe has a trade (B2B) website for travel agents to book for clients. Travel agents can also book through the company's contact center. The company has created a travel agent training program called TRAC, The Rail Agent Course. Agents can become European Rail Experts by completing five modules. Agents can become European Rail Experts by completing a comprehensive self-study course and exam.^[5]

Products and services[]

European travel products offered by Rail Europe include:

• Rail Passes - allow travel on European trains in a specific geographic area (defined at time of purchase) for a specific number of days. These days can be "consecutive" (i.e., 5 days in a row) or not (i.e., travel any day within a longer period of time for up to 2 months). Eurail Select and Global passes can include rail travel in 3 to 23 European countries on a single pass. And national and regional rail passes offer extensive travel within specific countries or regions..
• Train Tickets - allow for one-way or round-trip train journeys from city-center to city-center.
• E-tickets offer travelers the ability to print at home or at the station. Seat Reservations - mandatory for high-speed trains and are available to rail pass holders at discounted "passholder" rates.
• Sleeping Accommodation - available on some overnight trains.
• High-speed trains - transport passengers from city center to city center at speeds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h).
• Group Travel - Designed for groups of 10 or more travelers.

Easy Rail Access[]

In 2019, Rail Europe launched Easy Rail Access (ERA), a technology platform for travel industry partners. Accessible via any web browser, it provides continuously updated offers, customer service support by an international team available 24/7, instant access to real-time European railway inventories, intuitive booking tools and simplified processes for agents. ERA was created to make the booking process easier and quicker for agents, tour operator and travellers.^[6]

Dedicated B2B tool, ERA, aims to give businesses more agility and therefor to drive market growth.^[7]

References[]

External links[]

• RailEurope.com