Loco2.com adds UK trains to pan-European booking service

Rail booking specialist Loco2.com is launching a revolutionary new service to make it possible to book tickets for journeys starting from any UK station to thousands of European destinations in one transaction. The company will go live with the service on 12 November.

Loco2 has eliminated the need to visit multiple websites to plan and book international train trips from the UK. The company has already combined the booking systems of the French and German national rail operators (SNCF and Deutsche Bahn) to offer a huge choice of European rail tickets. Adding the full range of tickets offered by the UK’s Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) makes Loco2’s coverage unrivalled. This is the first and only place where it is possible to combine the fares of UK, French and German trains, including high-speed services such as Eurostar, TGV and ICE.

Customers travelling from outside London will also be able to ensure they are fully protected under international passenger rights similar to those afforded to air passengers. On Loco2, a search for any journey into Europe starting from outside London will automatically select a “London International CIV” ticket for the UK portion of their journey. This means that if a Eurostar connection is missed due to UK rail disruption, customers are eligible to travel on the next available train from St Pancras International for no additional cost. Without this little-known special ticket, travellers are liable to pay a full fare on the day for a replacement ticket, often costing in excess of £170.

Speaking about Loco2’s new UK service, rail-booking guru Mark Smith of Seat61.com said: “Loco2 has achieved something remarkable. For the first time, you can enter the name of your local station, however small and insignificant it is, then enter Amsterdam or Venice or Lucerne or Berlin or Barcelona or Copenhagen and it’ll work out (and book) all your trains. It’ll book to almost any local station abroad, too, however far from an airport. A virtually door-to-door solution, which isn’t something easyJet or Ryanair can boast!”

Loco2 – which means “low CO2”, as well as representing a new approach to rail booking – was founded by a small team of passionate train travellers led by brother and sister Jamie and Kate Andrews. They aim to make booking a train journey in Europe as easy as booking a flight, thereby reducing the environmental impact of travel and tapping into increasing demand for international trains.

Jamie Andrews says: “By adding UK rail to Loco2 we have made a great step towards helping millions of people travel by train instead of flying. Customers have been frustrated for years at the absence of an integrated booking service, so we are delighted to be filling this gap.”

It’s possible to preview the new service prior to launch by following these steps:

1. Sign up for an account at Loco2.com
2. Click the link in the confirmation email
3. Click this link when signed in: https://loco2.com/uk-rail-preview