WHITE PLAINS, NY — Rail Europe is going high-tech with the launch of a new technology platform for its B2B customers.

Powered by e-voyageurs SNCF, the platform – called Easy Rail Access (ERA) – will provide a simple booking experience that includes continuously updated offers. Built from the ground up, ERA allows agents to quickly update information on the site and, most importantly, add connections to Rail Europe’s suppliers as they become available for integration within the tool. ERA’s access to rail inventory will also be more comprehensive.

All this, says Rail Europe, will get more international passengers travelling through Europe by train, the most sustainable mode of travel.

“By investing in state-of-the-art technology, Rail Europe’s goal is to always deliver a first-class user experience, making train travel easy to book for every customer, no matter where in the world they are,” said Dau-Khoi Nguyen, President and CEO of Rail Europe. “Our international strategy with the launching of a new platform will further strengthen our position as the number one worldwide distributor of European train tickets.”

Rail Europe began rolling out ERA globally this past spring, with inventory connections being added every month. What this means for the trade is that by the end of 2020, ERA will be the power tool behind the B2B site, with the same familiar URL of agent.raileurope.com, and it will also replace Euronet, which is targeted for retirement by the end of 2020.

“Rail Europe is working hard to make the user experience for its travel advisor partners easier and more productive,” added Nguyen. “ERA will allow them the ability to find rail choices and the information they need for their clients much more quickly, as well as complete the booking process faster.”

Nguyen also noted that last year, the European train travel market for passengers coming from outside Europe was estimated at approximately Can$1.17 billion to $1.46 billion. It’s estimated that this number could almost double by 2028 as consumers become more environmentally-aware.

In 2018, Rail Europe saw an annual turnover of $489 million, which will increase to $584 million in 2019. The company expects to surpass $729 million in annual booking revenues within the next two years.

Last month, Rail Europe announced its plans to rebrand the e-voyageurs SNCF-owned ticket booking platform Loco2. The rebrand will go live on Nov. 6, 2019.

For more information go to https://agent.raileurope.ca/.