Independent Rail Retailers

is the trade association for the major retailers of train tickets in Great Britain.

Who we are

We contribute to the sale of over £5billion in train tickets annually, accounting for a significant portion of the industry's total ticket sales.

Independent rail retailers sell train tickets to consumers and businesses, driving ticket sales, reducing costs, and delivering innovative solutions to enhance the customer experience. We are dedicated to making it easier for customers to choose rail travel and helping the industry fill empty seats.

We range in size from global brands with international reach through to employee-owned co-operatives. Some of these organisations focus on very specific markets, such as business travel – a complex and under-served sector.

Our members collectively contribute £5 billion annually to industry revenue. Independent retailers are the driving force behind a number of customer-focused innovations, including e-tickets and split ticketing.

Learn more about what we do

Our Members

Assertis

Since 2008, Assertis has been a leading provider of online train ticket retailing solutions. We serve train operators like Heathrow Express and Caledonian Sleeper, business travel clients such as Arriva, and independent retailers including Omio and Uber. Additionally, we sell directly to the public through Railsmartr.

Assertis has been at the forefront of innovation, playing a key role in the development of the eTicket alongside a select group of retailers, train operators, and the RDG. This effort resulted in the most successful new ticket format ever introduced in GB rail. Assertis was also a founding member of the IRR in 2017.

Atomised

Founded in 2008, Atomised Co-operative Ltd developed coachfairer.com, a multi-operator coach search platform for UK and European travel. Building on this success, we focused on the UK Rail sector, enhancing journey planning technology and creating a comprehensive Ticket Issuing System (TIS) with a standout split ticket engine for optimal pricing.

Our advanced platform now powers RailEurope, supports B2B clients, and operates our retail site, traintickets.com. Atomised remains dedicated to technological excellence and customer-centric solutions, driving our ongoing success in the travel industry.

Evolvi

Founded in 2005 by Harry Weeks Travel, Evolvi was the first online self-booking tool for UK rail, designed with corporate travelers in mind. It quickly became a success, simplifying the complexities of UK fares and providing travel management companies with essential tools for policy compliance and reporting.

Today, Evolvi is the market leader in online corporate rail booking and has expanded into new markets through its rail API, partnering with major international travel brands.

Fast Rail Ticketing

Fast Rail Ticketing has been a cornerstone of the UK rail industry’s retail sector for over 15 years. Originally established to deliver high-class and innovative fulfilment services for online retailers, we have since expanded our offerings to include Refund Handling, Delay Repay, Season Ticket and Railcard retailing, and bespoke aftersales support.

We serve all current UK Train Operating Companies (TOCs), the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), and many of the leading rail retailers in both the consumer and business travel sectors.

Raileasy

Raileasy, launched in 2007, was the first privately funded third-party retailer to enter the UK rail retailing market. The company is on track to achieve over 1.25 million bookings in 2024. According to the latest figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), passenger journeys for the year ending March 2024 reached 93% of pre-pandemic levels seen in March 2020. In contrast, Raileasy’s booking figures surged to 136% of the pre-pandemic level.

In 2014, Raileasy revolutionised the UK rail market by introducing Trainsplit.com, a pioneering split-ticketing solution.  Trainsplit automated this process, enabling consumers to easily find average savings of around 20% compared to standard through tickets. Raileasy’s mission is to make rail travel more accessible by integrating it into more retail platforms. The company offers rail ticketing services to partners across various sectors through an API, including a pan-European option, as well as white labels and other affiliate formats.

Raileasy and Trainsplit are brands under Ferries Trains Planes Ltd, established in 1995. They are founding members of the Independent Rail Retailers trade association and are also affiliated with UKInbound.

Trainline

Trainline is Europe’s number one most downloaded rail travel app, selling train and coach tickets to millions of travellers worldwide. Through our 4.9*-rated app and website, users can search, book, and manage their trips in one place. Trainline brings together millions of routes, fares and travel times from 270 rail and bus carriers in more than 40 countries, as well as providing rail travel solutions to business travel retailers, carriers and SME businesses direct.

Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar with the mission “to pursue the perfect trip for a better world.”

Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services. Trip.com Group technology enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centers.

Virgin Trains Ticketing

Virgin Trains Ticketing is a more rewarding way to book train travel across Great Britain. Earn Virgin Points on every £1 spent and unlock discounts on future train travel, as well as accessing hundreds of rewards from across the Virgin family and beyond with Virgin Red. On top of that, there are zero booking fees on tickets, and split ticket options on many routes, helping customers save money on their journeys.

My Train Ticket

My Train Ticket (MTT) has its roots in digital finance and is now dedicated to providing rail ticketing services to the corporate market. Focused on growing its retail base and expanding its product offerings, MTT aims to achieve this through personal contact and attentive customer service. Recognising the importance of helping the corporate sector meet net zero targets, MTT has developed a corporate portal to make rail travel more accessible and support these sustainability goals.

OnTrack

On Track Retail specialises in innovative retail solutions, leveraging the latest technology to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. Proudly serving two of the largest train operating companies in Great Britain, the company is committed to excellence and prioritises customers in every aspect of its operations.