Railteam: Europe's rail companies make a pact

Last July, the railway companies SNCF, SNCB, Deutsche Bahn, Eurostar UK, NS Hispeed, ÖBB and CFF and their subsidiaries Thalys, Lyria and Alleo signed a cooperation agreement: Railteam. This agreement marks the start of a truly European high-speed network.

Railteam passengers benefit from comprehensive, multilingual information on board and in stations, continuous assistance, including in the event of disruption, adapted connections and information points installed, initially, in the five Railteam hubs at Lille-Europe, Bruxelles- Midi, Cologne, Brussels, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

Moreover, thanks to this cooperation, in the event of disruption, passengers who have missed their connection can take the next Railteam train without having to change their ticket, whatever the fare. Railteam is developing an interconnection platform to enable its customers, by 2009, to buy their ticket in a single transaction at all points of sale: Web, stations, agencies, etc.

At the same time, the loyalty programmes have been extended to all Railteam members. These benefits include access to the 36 business lounges currently available, discounts on car hire in the main European cities, and a wider range of programmes.

This means that all members can earn and spend their points across the entire Railteam pool. Nearly 25 million passengers are expected to use the Railteam network.