Multi-modal rail travel discussed at European Passengers' Federation event

If you haven’t heard yet, we’ve been working towards a door-to-door European travel space via the Amadeus-led consortium ‘All Ways Travelling’. The consortium, which was appointed by the European Commission, seeks to explore the feasibility for a multi-modal information and booking system with the ultimate goal of delivering an efficient and pain-free experience to passengers as they travel across borders and transport modes. Recently, it reached its first milestone with the completion of a study in multi-modality delivered by Zeppelin University.
 

At the EPF Summit, which brings together ‘key travel industry stakeholders for an exchange of views on topics important for European passengers’, I delivered a presentation entitled ‘A pan-European, multi-modal, passenger ticketing, and booking service’ which really highlighted just how fragmented and confusing booking rail can be. One of the examples I used was a trip I recently

planned from France to Austria that was easier said than done with a number of tribulations to overcome and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We are working hard to make booking rail as easy as booking a plane ticket. We can accomplish this by not only understanding that travellers have favourite booking channels, but also by providing open access to inventory and schedules, letting the technology experts connect transport modes, and fully integrating rail as part of the travel process and not a separate entity.

We’re well on our way to realising connected rail travel in Europe and sparking dialogue at events like the EPF Summit is a good way to bring travel players in the region together. Have a look at the Amadeus Rail website for more info and be sure to follow us on Twitter for all of the latest news.