BCD Travel is strengthening its rail offering in Europe by adding a direct Deutsche Bahn integration and launching U.K. split ticketing within Tripsource, its AI-powered travel platform. The enhancements give travelers access to richer rail content, lower fares and a more seamless booking experience, while helping companies support traveler satisfaction, policy compliance and sustainability goals.
As rail continues to play a larger role in managed travel programs across Europe, BCD is investing in the technology and partnerships needed to make booking rail as simple and effective as booking air. The latest enhancements are designed to improve how travelers shop, book and manage rail journeys while giving travel programs access to broader content, greater savings opportunities and a more intuitive booking experience.
We’ve built a modern, scalable, customer-centric rail offering that aligns with how our customers want to shop, book and manage their journeys either online or offline, while also enabling more sustainable travel choices. It required long-term investments in our open platform, partnerships and experience that bring it all together.
Michele Lawley
President – Europe at BCD Travel
Rich rail content in key European markets
One of the most significant developments is the direct integration of Deutsche Bahn within Tripsource. The connection expands content depth in Germany, one of Europe’s most important rail markets, and forms the foundation for additional rail initiatives planned throughout the year.
Upcoming developments include the addition of SNCB and NS International content for the Benelux region in July, and expanded Deutsche Bahn capabilities delivered through BCD’s direct connection. The move reflects BCD’s broader rail content strategy, which focuses on deep integrations with major rail providers to improve both the breadth and quality of content available to travelers.
The company already offers established rail coverage through key providers, including U.K. Rail, SNCF in France and SBB in Switzerland, demonstrating the maturity of its European rail platform.
Bringing automated rail savings to U.K. travelers
BCD is also making rail bookings more cost effective through the launch of split ticketing in the U.K. Split ticketing identifies combinations of tickets that can lower the total cost of a rail journey without requiring travelers to manually search for savings opportunities. By automatically surfacing these fare combinations within the normal booking workflow, the feature makes rail easier to compare, book and manage.
According to BCD data, approximately 35% of rail bookings now use split tickets, generating average savings of £21.50 (approximately USD $28.50) per trip. This add-on helps organizations control travel costs while simplifying the booking process for travelers.
A more intuitive traveler experience
BCD has introduced several usability enhancements aimed at improving the overall rail booking experience. Tripsource now includes seat maps, giving travelers greater visibility into available seating options before they book. The platform also automatically applies eligible loyalty benefits, discount cards and corporate negotiated fares, ensuring travelers can access applicable savings without additional steps.
Tripsource also provides rail boarding passes directly in the app, simplifying the experience for travelers even further. But the impact goes beyond convenience. As traveler satisfaction improves, so does adoption, which drives greater compliance and unlocks measurable savings. It’s a clear win for everyone involved.”
Steph DeNote
Senior Vice President – Traveler Experience & Commerce at BCD Travel
Supporting the future of managed rail travel
For travel managers, the benefits extend beyond convenience. Increased adoption of preferred booking channels can support policy compliance, improve traveler satisfaction and help organizations capture measurable savings, while making rail a more accessible option within their travel programs.