Articles tagged “trainline”

Hotel brands are well known for their marketing partnerships with influencers and celebrities, but now one rail booking platform is getting in on the act.

Google made it easier to find train routes and booking options in Europe. Like it did for flights, hotels, vacation rentals, and things to do, the new feature improves Google's standing in the rail sector.

Sqills has won more contracts from railway operators to upgrade their inventory, booking, and ticketing software than any other tech vendor in recent years. So this acquisition makes sense.

A lot of companies say the want to switch planes for trains, but it's only when Europe's borders fully reopen will we know if that can translate into bookings.

Convincing businesses to opt for longer train journeys, and that this isn't just a "backpacker express," could be a challenge.

Rising interest in intercity train travel has been amplified by new European incentives that favor greener forms of travel, plus deregulation. But rail operators are hampered by their old IT systems, which aren't ready to sell to international travelers in the Google era.

Understandably, CEO Clare Gilmartin didn't want to play up moves into other travel areas too much at such an early stage, but we'll be keeping a close eye on how the company evolves over the next few years as it looks to diversify away from rail tickets and make more money in other areas.

Rail travel still remains a stubbornly offline mode of transport when it comes to booking a ticket. Companies like Trainline are trying to change this by making it easier to search and buy tickets across Europe.

Defying conventional wisdom in the U.S., leading venture capitalist and the founders of two venture-backed companies -- Trainline and GetYourGuide -- believe that Europe is an excellent testbed for creating travel companies that can scale globally. They make their case well.