Trainline EU
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Online travel services |
| Predecessor | Captain Train |
| Founded | February 8, 2009 |
| Founder | Jean-Daniel Guyot, Martin Ottenwaelter, Valentin Surrel |
| Fate | Acquired by Trainline in 2016 |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | Europe |
Key people | Daniel Beutler (former COO) |
| Products | Train and coach ticket booking application and website |
| Parent | Trainline |
Trainline Europe—previously known as Captain Train or Capitaine Train—operates as the European branch of Trainline, the foremost train and coach booking application in Europe. Through its website and mobile app offerings, it enables travelers to buy tickets from a wide range of European rail providers, accommodating loyalty cards, vouchers, and e-tickets. The brand Captain Train was integrated into Trainline following its acquisition in 2016.
Service
Purchasing tickets on the platform does not require users to register an account; however, those who do register benefit from features like saving tickets and reserving journeys without immediate payment. The system retains traveler information such as fare categories (including age and loyalty programs) and preferences for travel conditions (e.g., comfort class, frequently traveled routes). Users can compare journey options between any two stations served by affiliated rail companies, then proceed to book, purchase, or cancel tickets. E-tickets are favored when offered, and all carrier-issued vouchers or coupons are accepted. Booked tickets remain accessible within the user’s account through both web and mobile interfaces.
Captain Train is available as a web app compatible with iOS and Android tablets, complemented by native apps for iOS and Android smartphones.
The service encompasses key European rail operators such as SNCF (including subsidiaries Ouigo and Ouibus), Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB (featuring Nightjet overnight trains), Renfe, Eurostar, Thalys, Lyria, Trenitalia, Italo, Thello, Trenord, WESTbahn, and Leo Express. Its operational reach extends across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, and Switzerland. The platform supports numerous languages including French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.
Functioning as an intermediary that utilizes carriers’ reservation infrastructures for all transactions, Captain Train does not hold ticket inventories but generates revenue through commissions from ticket sales without charging extra service fees.
History
Captain Train was established by engineers Jean-Daniel Guyot, Martin Ottenwaelter, and Valentin Surrel with the goal of delivering a streamlined and advertisement-free ticketing experience that addressed shortcomings found in Voyages-sncf.com.
Following a €5 million penalty imposed on SNCF by French competition authorities in February 2009 due to discriminatory practices against travel agencies, restrictions on accessing SNCF’s reservation systems were relaxed. Captain Train launched shortly thereafter on 8 February 2009.
In May 2009, Elégantes Solutions SAS (which later became Capitaine Train SAS) secured a travel agency license and began negotiating access to SNCF’s systems. Despite initial delays, full access including post-sale management was granted by mid-July 2010 after signing a contract in June of that year.
A closed beta version was introduced in October 2010 and expanded to an invitation-only user base by March 2011. The platform incorporated iDTGV tickets in August 2011; Lunéa overnight trains followed in December 2011; Deutsche Bahn tickets covering Germany and France were added in May 2012.
The company raised €1.4 million in venture funding in February 2012, followed by €2.5 million in June 2013 and €5.5 million in December 2014 to support expansion efforts.
Public access commenced with a web application launch in October 2012; mobile apps were released on iOS in October 2013 and on Android in March 2014. By 2015 the user base reached approximately 1.3 million and increased to 1.6 million by April 2016.
In late 2014 Daniel Beutler joined as COO during a management restructuring phase. Captain Train was among the first to develop rail travel applications for wearable technology with an Android Wear app debuting in July 2014 and an Apple Watch app launching in April 2015.
In March 2016 the British firm Trainline acquired Captain Train for up to $189 million. Since July 2018 Trainline has been distributing tickets on behalf of 183 rail and coach operators across Europe.