Trainline plc (formerly Thetrainline.com) is a British digital rail and coach ticketing platform operating across Europe. It sells tickets from multiple rail and coach operators through its website and mobile apps, allowing users to compare and book journeys across different transport providers. The company also provides ticketing and distribution services to other travel businesses through Trainline Solutions. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, it is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
Trainline was established in 1997 by the Virgin Group, and online ticket sales began in 1999. It was operated under contract by Capgemini.The TrainLine earns Virgin £88m per year The Railway Magazine issue 1183 November 1999 page 71 Stagecoach later purchased a 49% shareholding. In February 2004 Trainline merged with Qjump, its main competitor.Trainline absorbs its Q-Jump rival Modern Railways issue 666 March 2004 page 9 Stagecoach sold out, leading to Virgin having an 86% shareholding in the merged company with National Express owning the other 14%.Tranline and Qjump couple ticket sales The Daily Telegraph 10 February 2004
In July 2006, Exponent Private Equity acquired Trainline.Trainline sold for £163m Rail Business Intelligence 29 June 2006 page 5Low bids derail trainline.com sale The Daily Telegraph 22 July 2012 Trainline acquired Advanced Smartcard Technologies, including its smartcard software subsidiary Ecebs, in 2007. Ecebs was subsequently sold to Bell ID in November 2012.
KKR acquired Trainline from Exponent in January 2015, ending plans for an initial public offering. In August 2015, the company announced it had changed its name from thetrainline.com to Trainline. In 2016, it acquired Captain Train and re-branded it as Trainline EU.Trainline expands into European ticketing with Captain Train purchase International Railway Journal April 2016 page 10
Trainline was floated on the London Stock Exchange in June 2019, with its shares rising on their first day of trading and valuing the company at nearly £2 billion. At the end of February 2021, Clare Gilmartin stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Jody Ford who had joined the business in July 2020.
Trainline acquired Spanish rail and bus ticketing company Trenes.com in April 2025 as part of its expansion in Spain.
The COVID-19 pandemic substantially reduced rail travel. Trainline's net ticket sales fell from £3.7 billion in the year to February 2020 to £783 million in the following financial year, while the company reported an operating loss of £100 million.
In June 2025, Trainline began offering an AI assistant to handle customer enquiries. The tool was criticised for providing incorrect information that, if followed, could result in customers receiving fines from train companies. The Rail Delivery Group responded to the chatbot by saying, "We expect all retailers to ensure customer information is timely and accurate". Trainline responded by stating that the assistant was in the beta testing phase.
In August 2026, The Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into Trainline over alleged drip pricing.
Business and services Trainline operates an online platform for booking rail and coach tickets through its website and mobile apps. It aggregates fares, timetables and ticket inventory from more than 270 rail and coach operators in over 40 countries, allowing users to compare and purchase journeys from multiple operators.
Trainline also provides B2B ticketing and distribution services through Trainline Solutions. Its Platform One technology supports Trainline's consumer services and is also used to provide booking, retailing and distribution services to rail and coach operators and other travel companies.
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