Thetrainline.com brings the next generation of ticket fulfilment within the rail industry to the B2B market, as it announces that business travellers who book rail travel with thetrainline.com directly or through Travel Management Companies (TMCs) will now be able to print their own train tickets with barcodes at home or in the office, making journeys that little bit easier.

Thetrainline.com is the first independent train ticket retailer to offer this fulfilment method in the B2B market, using technology that has successfully been accredited by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and has recently been made available to a number of Blue Chip corporate clients.
Using the new technology, tickets can be printed off by the traveller on plain A4 paper on any standard printer and brought to the station. The printed ticket displays a secure barcode that can be scanned by stations that have barcode readers and incorporates a design that enables adequate visual security checks so the tickets can be validated manually.
Based on the success of PYO tickets in the leisure market which thetrainline.com launched two years ago* adoption of this new development for businesses is expected to be strong, on account of the convenience, time and money-saving benefits.
Ian Cairns, Head of Distribution at thetrainline.com, said “Investing in new ticketing technology and driving innovation within the rail industry is really important to us, to continue helping customers to save money on train travel. This development for the B2B market means that business customers can save even more time and money by booking with thetrainline.com, so it’s a great opportunity for all our TMC partners.”
PYO tickets are currently available on all Advance tickets for services operated by Cross Country Trains, with a number of other train companies, including Virgin Trains, due to make PYO available to B2B customers through thetrainline.com later this year†.

* Since thetrainline.com first launched “Print Your Own” (PYO)tickets in the leisure market two years ago, this has been the fulfilment option of choice for around a quarter of customers on routes where it is available.

† PYO is currently available for transactions made with a credit card and is being rolled out to other forms of payment such as – on account and lodge card facilities in the coming months.  A recent system development now allows additional nominated forms of identification, including driver’s license, passport and national insurance card to be accepted on board the train to validate the ticket, instead of the credit card used to make the purchase.