Rail Europe has announced plans to launch a new, dedicated technology platform for travel advisors called Easy Rail Access (ERA). The move is part of a newly announced strategy to grow the market for international travelers looking to travel across Europe by train.
Plans call for ERA to be a one-stop-shop that will aim to streamline the booking process for travel agencies and travel advisors. It will have continuously updated offers and customer service support. Rail Europe said that it is progressively deploying the ERA platform worldwide until 2020.
Last month Rail Europe had also announced plans to rebrand its B2C booking platform, Loco2. The company now says that that rebrand will go live on November 6, 2019, integrating the platform into the Rail Europe brand.
“[Last] year the European train travel market for passengers coming from outside Europe was estimated at €800 million to €1 billion (approx. $883 million to $110.4 billion),” said Rail Europe President and CEO Dau-Khoi Nguyen. “It is estimated that this number could almost double by 2028, as consumers become more environmentally-aware, realizing that the train remains the [most] sustainable means of transport after cycling.”
In 2018, Rail Europe saw an annual turnover of €335 million (approx. $370 million), which will increase to €400 million (approx. $442 million) in 2019, the company said. The company also said that it expects to surpass €500 million (approx. $552 million) in annual booking revenues within the next two years.
Related Stories
General Strike Planned for Friday as Barcelona Protests Continue