Rail Europe & RENFE celebrate Strong Ticket Sales in 2011

More high speed services and aggressive pricing helped Renfe-Operadora attract a greater number of travellers in 2011, thus gaining market share against other modes of transportation.

In a gloomy economic environment, the 2011 performance of Spain's National Railways was strong, with passenger numbers increasing by 2.9%, in excess of 468 million.

The impressive influx of travellers from non-European countries contributed strongly to these results. With the growth in travellers' numbers approaching 70%, Rail Europe 4A, one of the largest distributors of train tickets in the world and primary distributor or Renfe products, has successfully opened the doors of Renfe’s high speed trains to more people.

All Rail Europe 4A markets are in the black, with Japan, Brazil and Argentina counting as its top three countries.

"We are very proud of our results for 2011," said Pierre-Stéphane Austi, CEO of Rail Europe. "They demonstrate how an intelligent, win-win cooperation can bring great rewards to all parties, distributors and carriers alike."

Rail Europe and Renfe Operadora signed a direct agreement in April 2011, which proved instrumental in achieving such positive results. The agreement allowed the two companies to establish a direct connection between their respective distribution systems, whilst promoting access to a larger range of fares (including "low cost" fares) and e-ticketing facilities.

Javier Casado Ucieda, Sales and Marketing Director at Renfe, said, "This agreement represents a major step forward in our distribution strategy, and has allowed us to better serve our clients in the non-European markets thanks to Rail Europe’s strong presence. Today we are happy to celebrate an excellent first year, and look forward to repeating this performance in 2012."

In 2012, Rail Europe expects sales of Renfe tickets to grow equally fast. Acting as a one-stop-shop for rail products in Europe, and particularly Spain, the company will continue to promote train travel in Spain, whilst benefiting from all improvements undertaken by Renfe.

With faster trains between major cities – it now takes only 2h30 door to door between Madrid and Barcelona, or 1h38 between Madrid and Valencia – in addition to very low lead-in prices, trains are consistently proving the best way to travel in Spain.

See other recent news regarding: Airlines, Airports, Awards, Flights, Codeshare, FFP, Inflight, Lounges, First Class, Business Class, MICE, GDS, Rewards, Miles, Hotels, Apartments, Promotions, Spas, Yoga, Retreat, New Hotels, Traffic, Visitor Arrivals, Cruises, Free Deals, Interviews, Videos, Tickets, Rail Europe, Spain