Thetrainline.com launches new car hire service for UK train travellers

Leading online train ticket retailer thetrainline.com today announces a new service allowing customers to hire cars close to hundreds of UK train stations via its website.

The new service has been developed with the needs of business and leisure travellers in mind, ensuring customers can enjoy all the benefits of travelling by train, whilst catering for those who need a car at their destination.

This industry first will make train travel an attractive option for many journeys that may otherwise have been made by car or plane: customers can combine the cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness of train travel for the main part of their journey with the convenience of a car at their destination for their onward journey.

Within a dedicated section of thetrainline.com website, customers enter their destination station and travel dates and are presented with a wide range of vehicles for hire, starting with the cheapest available option. The unique functionality, exclusive to thetrainline.com, finds the nearest vehicles to the customer’s destination station enabling convenient pick up. The cost and distance from the station are highlighted clearly on the booking page alongside images of each car, making it easy for customer to choose the right car for their needs.

Customers can also pick-up and drop-off cars at different stations, creating a convenient and flexible option for business customers who might be visiting a number of offices or leisure customers wishing to explore the countryside or visit friends and family.

Iain Hildreth, Director of Marketing at thetrainline.com said, “The launch of car hire on thetrainline.com means our customers can now combine rail and road in a convenient way allowing them to enjoy all the benefits of train travel with the flexibility of picking up a hire car near their destination station.

“The train is a great way to travel. It’s cost efficient, carbon friendly and much less stressful than long distance driving – but many people do need a car at the other end. We’re confident that business and leisure travellers alike will find it really useful to be able to combine train and car – and consider the train for more of their travel needs”.

The new car hire service has been developed in partnership with Car Trawler, giving thetrainline.com customers access to a large database of car rental suppliers and enabling them to get the cheapest and best deals available.

Enda O’Toole, VP Account Management at Car Trawler said, “Car rental with rail travel is a natural marriage but has been traditionally under-served due to the limitations of single supplier offerings.

“Our ability to provide thetrainline.com customers with a view of all the car rental options around their arrival station is unique to the industry and we are delighted to achieve yet another first in worldwide car rental distribution.”

As well as its tips and money-saving tools for train tickets, thetrainline.com also offers its customers great deals on short breaks in the UK and Europe as well as theatre tickets and packages combining London West End theatre with dinner and overnight stays.