Opening up European high-speed rail ‘worth €12bn’ in ticket sales by 2030

Liberalised high-speed rail routes in Europe will lead to projected industry ticket sales worth €12 billion by 2030.

 

The forecast came from digital ticketing firm Trainline, claimed as  Europe’s most downloaded rail app with a total active customer base of 27 million.

 

The liberalisation of routes in France, Italy and Spain is expected to provide the catalyst for Trainline to expand in Europe.

 

The company reported net ticket sales in Spain alone almost tripled in two years to €199 million, with its share on top five routes increasing from 5% to 12%.

 

Trainline also saw net ticket sales up 63% via international B2B distribution through its global API in the year to February 28.

 

Overall annual sales rose by 12% over the previous 12 months to £5.9 billion as the firm reported 18 million active UK customers.

 

Operating profit increased by 54% to £86 million with adjusted ebitda up 30% to £159 million.

 

The company said: “Trainline enjoys significant long term growth opportunities, including a large and growing rail market, growing awareness of the environmental benefits of train travel and the continued shift towards digital ticketing.

 

“There are clear signs of new entrant carrier competition expanding in Europe, with liberalised high-speed routes across France, Italy and Spain expected to be worth €12 billion by 2030. 

 

“This should provide the conditions required for Trainline to scale as it positions itself as the market aggregator. 

 

"In addition, the business travel market in UK and European rail is estimated to be worth €6 billion, giving Trainline significant headroom to grow its B2B offering.”

 

However, the firm cautioned that recent global macro-economic uncertainty “may impact foreign travel”. 

 

As a result, Trainline expects net ticket sales growth in the range of 6% to 9% for the current financial year. 

 

Chief executive Jody Ford added: "Our sustained investment in tech innovation over the last three decades is delivering for customers, driving industry growth and is reflected in our performance with net ticket sales up 12% year-on-year to £6 billion. 

 

“Spain offers a powerful blueprint for Europe, where net ticket sales have nearly tripled in two years. 

 

“Looking ahead, liberalised routes across Europe will be worth €12 billion by 2030, almost three times their size today. 

 

"In the UK we remain the number one travel app and continue to innovate, including leveraging AI, to shift more people towards greener, digital-first rail travel, which now represents over 50% of industry ticket sales."