Amex Business Travel welcomes bid to untangle rail fares

Amex Business Travel welcomes bid to untangle rail fares

A new initiative to untangle complex UK rail fares has been welcomed by a senior figure in business travel. Continue reading

A new initiative to untangle complex UK rail fares has been welcomed by a senior figure in business travel.

The measures put forward by train operating body the Rail Delivery Group aim to ensure passengers receive the best possible fares on cross-country routes.

American Express Global Business Travel, northern Europe vice president Jason Geall described the trial to simplify fares from May as “very good news”.

Geall, a former director at Eurostar, said: “Buying rail tickets has been unfairly complex for commuters and travellers for far too long.

“This initiative is very good news, though long overdue.

“The number of different ticketing combinations and the large number of different train operator companies make the system difficult to understand for many people.

“In future, travellers and agents should be able to book a return journey – Glasgow to Lyon, for example – across different TOCs [train operating companies] on one ticket in a single transaction.

“The technology is there to do it, but pan-European collaboration between TOCs, technology companies and governments is required to achieve this objective.

“In the meantime, we will work with closely with partners to make sure the benefits of this new initiative are understood and integrated into managed travel programmes.”