AccesRail is an alliance of railway companies created to provide railways with an interface to the GDS companies using standard airline systems. In addition, AccesRail provides IATA licensed travel agents with a user-friendly method of selling rail.

- What is the AccesRail Solution?
- Why was AccesRail developed?
- Background
- Joining forces to reduce the costs
- AccesRail In a nutshell

What is the AccesRail Solution?

AccesRail's solution distributes railway products to travel agents on a system they are familiar with. They use the same Primary screens and commands they would use for booking airline tickets.

In Short:

• We act like an airline
• We use the same systems as the airlines

Why was AccesRail developed?

AccesRail was developed in response to a need to increase the distribution of train products among travel agencies domestically and internationally. Therefore producing:

• Increased revenues
• System cost savings
• Improved cash flow

Background

• The travel industry's most significant distribution channel is the airline one, with an international reach of over 150,000 Travel Agencies through GDS's. Even with secondary screen rail applications offered by some GDSs reality is that Travel Agents do not have access to rail the same way as they have access to air and thus over 90% of their sales remain air sales. In this context, there was an opportunity to integrate rail on the primary GDS screens as a means to significantly increase rail distribution not only domestically but also internationally. But, GDS´s were developed by the airlines for the airlines and the interface was not made for railways.
• AccesRail developed the required interface between airline systems and railway systems. This company was incorporated in October 1998 as a company to interface with GDS's and IATA approved travel agencies.

   

• AccesRail staff, made up of industry veterans, have done this similar integration for VIA Rail in Canada, Swedish Rail (SJ), Norwegian Rail (NSB) and BritRail.

Joining forces to reduce the costs

• The AccesRail concept allows Railway Companies to offset the huge costs of connecting to the GDS systems and the cost of joining and settling through the various IATA BSP's.

   

AccesRail in a nutshell

AccesRail is an alliance of railway companies for: