Raileurope.co.uk
Rail Europe is an online rail-ticket booking service for journeys across the United Kingdom and mainland Europe, formerly operating under the Loco2 name.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Rail Europe is an online travel-booking brand focused on rail tickets in the United Kingdom and Europe. The business began as Loco2, a low-carbon travel venture founded in 2006 by siblings Kate Andrews and Jamie Andrews. Its initial concept was broader than rail retailing: the founders sought to encourage lower-emission, land-based travel. The company progressively concentrated on European rail as the market in which it could provide the greatest practical benefit to consumers, combining journey search, fare comparison and ticket fulfillment across multiple national railway systems. Although founded in 2006, the business began trading from London in 2012. From 2011 onward, Loco2 worked to connect its platform to the reservation and ticketing systems of major European operators. This integration model differentiated it from a single-country rail retailer: customers could search and book routes crossing national borders and, in suitable cases, complete a multi-operator transaction in one booking flow. The platform offered both standard fares and operator-specific discounted products, including Advance fares in the United Kingdom, France's Prems fares, Germany's Sparpreis products and promotional fares offered by Renfe in Spain. The service covers approximately 25 European countries and has integrated with or sold inventory from operators including the Rail Delivery Group in the United Kingdom, SNCF in France, Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn, SNCB, Renfe, Trenitalia and Italo. It has marketed tickets for major high-speed services such as TGV, ICE, Eurostar, AVE, Thalys, Frecciarossa and Italo. The business has also supported selected international bus journeys. Its consumer proposition is therefore built around aggregation: simplifying a fragmented European rail market in which fares, reservation rules, data formats and ticketing practices vary from one operator and country to another. Environmental positioning remained part of the brand's identity. The original name Loco2 combined a reference to locomotives with an abbreviation of “low CO2.” The booking experience included a carbon-counting feature intended to show the emissions advantage of rail travel, with the company promoting the possibility of reducing a journey's carbon footprint by as much as 90% compared with some alternatives. Loco2 also advocated more open and standardized access to rail data, arguing that better access would support competition, innovation and clearer passenger rights. The company expanded its digital product during the 2010s. In 2013 it worked with The Guardian on a branded train-ticket booking service. In 2016 it completed a major redesign and launched smartphone applications for iOS and Android. In 2017 Loco2 was acquired by e-voyageurs Groupe, the digital travel division associated with SNCF and OUI.sncf. The founders initially remained involved, while the acquisition provided additional resources for technology development and international distribution. Kate and Jamie Andrews announced their departure in December 2018. In November 2019, the Loco2 website and applications were rebranded as Rail Europe. The change aligned the service with the wider Rail Europe identity used for international rail distribution by the SNCF-connected travel group. Rail Europe consequently represents the continuation of Loco2's cross-border booking platform under a more internationally recognizable name. Its core role remains that of an online rail intermediary: bringing together operator inventory, fares and journey information while allowing travelers to plan and purchase European train journeys through a single digital interface.
History
Rail Europe originated as Loco2, a British low-carbon travel company established in 2006 by siblings Kate Andrews and Jamie Andrews. Kate Andrews began developing the concept while studying at the University of Sussex. The original ambition was to make grounded, lower-emission travel more accessible, but the company increasingly focused on European rail as it developed the technical and commercial capability to sell tickets from multiple railway systems. The business began trading from London in 2012. Its early development centered on integrating with the booking systems of European rail operators. This was a technically and commercially demanding task because the continent's rail market is divided among national operators, each with its own inventory, fare rules, reservation requirements and data systems. Loco2's platform sought to abstract that complexity for consumers by providing a single search and purchase experience for journeys that could involve several operators or countries. The company later added selected bus inventory from 2018. Loco2's environmental identity was reflected in its name, which referred both to locomotives and low carbon dioxide emissions. The service included carbon information in its booking process and promoted rail as a lower-emission alternative to air or car travel. Its founders also became advocates for improved access to rail data. In 2011, Jamie Andrews called for more open and equitable access to railway data, arguing that common standards could encourage innovation and help protect passenger rights. In 2013, the company organized a rail-data hack day at Google Campus in London to demonstrate potential uses of open information. The platform expanded its consumer reach during the 2010s. In 2013 Loco2 collaborated with The Guardian on Guardian Trains, a branded train-booking application. Vimal Khosla, formerly associated with the board of lastminute.com, joined the company's board in 2014. In 2016 Loco2 carried out a full redesign of its logo, colors and user interface, and launched its first smartphone applications, with an iOS release in April and an Android release later that year. Loco2 was funded as a private company through investment from its founders, their personal networks and angel investors. Reported investors included Ed Gillespie, the founder of sustainability consultancy and creative agency Futerra. The company was reported to have raised approximately £1 million through private investment rounds, although this figure is historical and does not describe present financial performance. On 5 July 2017, Loco2 was acquired by e-voyageurs Groupe, the digital travel business associated with SNCF and OUI.sncf. The acquisition was intended to provide capital and technical resources while strengthening the group's international rail-ticket retailing capability. Loco2 continued to operate with a degree of independence during the transition, and its founders remained with the business for a period. In December 2018, Kate Andrews and Jamie Andrews announced their departure. In November 2019, Loco2's website and applications were rebranded Rail Europe. The rebrand placed the service within a broader international identity already used by the SNCF-connected group for rail distribution outside its home-market context. Rail Europe continued the original platform's principal function: aggregating fares and reservations from railway operators across Europe and giving customers access to national and international rail products through digital channels. The service has been associated with approximately 25 countries and has offered inventory from operators including SNCF, Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn, SNCB, Renfe, Trenitalia, Italo and the Rail Delivery Group. It has also sold tickets for major services such as TGV, ICE, AVE, Thalys, Frecciarossa and Eurostar.
- 2019
Loco2 becomes Rail Europe
[1]The website and apps are rebranded Rail Europe.
- 2018
Founders leave the business
[1]Kate Andrews and Jamie Andrews announce their departure.
- 2017
Acquisition by e-voyageurs Groupe
[1]e-voyageurs Groupe acquires Loco2 to expand digital and international rail distribution.
- 2016
Digital redesign and mobile expansion
[1]Loco2 redesigns its brand and booking platform and releases iOS and Android applications.
- 2013
Guardian Trains launches
[1]Loco2 partners with The Guardian on a branded train-ticket booking application.
- 2012
Commercial trading begins from London
[1]The company starts trading as a London-based online rail-booking service.
- 2011
European rail-system integration begins
[1]Loco2 begins connecting its service to the booking systems of major European rail operators.
- 2006
Loco2 is founded
[1]Kate Andrews and Jamie Andrews establish the company with an initial focus on lower-carbon, land-based travel.
Products and positioning
A cross-border digital rail marketplace that aggregates national railway inventory and fares, making European train travel easier to search and book through one online service. The brand also retains an environmental and lower-carbon travel orientation inherited from its Loco2 origins.
Online rail booking
European rail tickets
Rail Europe's central offering is online search and purchase of train tickets across the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. The service aggregates inventory from numerous national and private operators, allowing users to compare schedules and fares for domestic and cross-border journeys. It can present standard fares alongside operator-specific discounted products, helping travelers plan itineraries that may otherwise require visits to several national booking systems.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail tickets
The platform sells reservations and fares for prominent European high-speed services, including TGV, ICE, Eurostar, AVE, Thalys, Frecciarossa and Italo. These products support both domestic travel within individual countries and international journeys, subject to the inventory, timetable and ticketing rules of each participating operator.
Travel technology · 2016
Mobile booking applications
The former Loco2 service introduced smartphone applications for iOS and Android in 2016. The applications extended journey search and ticket-booking functionality beyond the desktop website and were subsequently included in the Rail Europe rebrand.
Sustainability feature
Carbon information
A carbon-counting feature was built into the booking process to communicate the emissions implications of rail travel. It reflected Loco2's original low-carbon positioning and the company's broader effort to present rail as a more environmentally favorable alternative for many journeys.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Guardian Trains
United Kingdom
Loco2 partnered with The Guardian to provide a newspaper-branded version of its train-ticket booking application.
Outcome. The partnership broadened awareness of Loco2's rail-booking service through a recognized media brand.
- 2013Open rail data hack day
United Kingdom
Loco2 held an event at Google Campus in London demonstrating possible applications of open railway data.
Outcome. The event supported the company's advocacy for standardized and more accessible rail data.
Brand decisions
2019
Rebranding from Loco2 to Rail EuropeStrategyBackground
Following its integration into the SNCF-linked e-voyageurs organization, the service needed an identity aligned with the group's international rail-distribution activities.
Action taken
The Loco2 website and mobile applications were rebranded Rail Europe in November 2019.
Aftermath
The service continued operating as a digital intermediary for European rail journeys under the Rail Europe name.
2017
Acquisition by e-voyageurs GroupeM&ABackground
Loco2 had developed a multi-operator European rail-booking platform but required additional resources to expand its technology and international reach.
Action taken
e-voyageurs Groupe acquired Loco2 on 5 July 2017. The buyer was associated with SNCF and OUI.sncf.
Aftermath
The founders initially remained involved, while the acquisition was positioned as a way to strengthen international online rail-ticket distribution.
Sources1 sources
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