All Ways Travelling consortium to support European Commission’s “Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area”

Consortium to deliver foundation work to develop a pan-European passenger transport information and booking system

Madrid, Spain, 10 July, 2013 - All Ways Travelling, an Amadeus-led  consortium comprised of BeNe Rail, IATA, Thales, UNIFE and Zeppelin University, has been appointed by the European Commission (Mobility and Transport Directorate) to develop and validate a model for a multimodal pan-European passenger transport information and booking system.

The appointment of the consortium forms one of the initiatives adopted by the European Commission (EC) within its Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area. The roadmap aims to build a more efficient, sustainable transport system to increase mobility across Europe, drive growth and associated employment within the transport sector, and reduce carbon emissions.

In the first stage of the project, the All Ways Travelling consortium will undertake an in-depth study of multimodality. The study, which will be conducted by Zeppelin University, is due to be completed before the end of 2013. Once the results are validated by the EC, the consortium will trial a series of Proofs of Concept (POC) in terms of business models, operations and specific technologies that have been identified as critical for market delivery.

The long-term objective of the EC is to ease travel across Europe using various modes of transport, such as air, rail and urban transport, thus enabling European residents and visitors to enjoy a seamless door-to-door travel experience.

By addressing a clear requirement for easy access to travel solutions that combine different transport modes, the roadmap will establish a framework for European multimodal transport that streamlines shopping, booking, ticketing and payment processes.

Siim Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of transport, commented: “We need to develop European multimodal journey planners in Europe. To make the best use of all existing transport modes and infrastructure, we need to ensure the availability, accessibility and exchange of all relevant information, such as schedules, capacity and paths."

Thomas Drexler, Global Head of Amadeus Rail and Ground Transportation, said: “In addition to the breadth of knowledge and experience within the consortium itself, we have created an advisory board consisting of 10 representatives of the major players in the industry to ensure that the approach to multimodal travel is truly beneficial for the travel industry as a whole.”

Press Contacts

All Ways Travelling group members

Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies). The Amadeus group employs around 10,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 73 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations globally.

BeNe Rail International is a joint venture of NS (Dutch Railways) and SNCB (Belgian Railways), delivering IT concepts and solutions in the area of distribution and inventory management for international passenger rail services.

The International Air Transport Association responsible for passenger service and freight data interchange standards within the global air industry, for the distribution of airline products and services, via direct and indirect (travel agency) retail channels, including financial services around payments, agency and interline settlement, and recently branching out into similar services for non-AIR operators.

Thales is a global technology leader for the Defence & Security and the Aerospace & Transportation markets. In 2012, the company generated revenues of €14.2 billion with 67,000 employees in 56 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers and local partners.

www.thalesgroup.com

UNIFE directly represents in Europe around 60 of the largest and medium size companies in the railway supply industry. UNIFE is the coordinator of a major R&D initiative for the rail sector, SHIFT2RAIL, currently under discussion with the European Commission.

Zeppelin University is a state-recognised and privately funded endowment university bridging Business, Culture and Politics. The University is hosting the Amadeus Institute for Mobility and Business Model Innovation and also the Phoenix Chair for General Business Administration and Mobility Management.