What is the origin of SilverRail?
SilverRail was founded in 2009 by seasoned travel technology executives Aaron Gowell and Will Phillipson. Their vision was to make railroading easier. Specifically, it’s super easy to plan, book, and travel by air. Fifteen years on, the company has accomplished a lot, but there’s still much more to accomplish. For example, some of the world’s largest travel websites like Booking and Expedia don’t yet offer rail as a travel option, but we want to solve that.
Why do we need people like SilverRail?
Trains are the most environmentally friendly way to travel, so putting more people on trains than on planes or cars is a huge win for the world. And the great news is that increased competition from high-speed rail and new rail companies has moved travelers from planes to trains, making trains more efficient and affordable. For example, our analysis shows that on the route from Madrid to Barcelona, the market share of railways compared to airlines rose from 12% to 73% in a relatively short period of time.
However, selling a railway can be difficult if you don’t have the right partner for a variety of reasons. First, each railroad company has a different API, which increases the development effort required to connect to a railroad. We solve this problem by aggregating and normalizing all major airlines’ rail content into a single API, reducing development effort.
Second, securing a retail license directly from a carrier is complicated. This problem can be solved by securing sublicensing rights with most carrier partners, eliminating the need for corporate and leisure agency partners to sublicense themselves.
Third, user adoption rates are often low. Most aggregator APIs don’t offer what travelers need, and they end up booking directly with the rail company. We’re solving this problem by deepening the rail content of our API and providing as much of the same level of functionality as rail operators as possible.
What are your favorite use cases for 2023?
2023 has been such an interesting year for SilverRail that it’s hard to pick just one use case. Instead, we’ll focus on two major trends we’ve seen so far in him. The first is increased demand for rail by corporate travel agencies. This is largely due to companies wanting to reduce their carbon footprint and, as a result, introducing rail-first corporate travel policies.
What are the technologies that support travel agencies and what are their characteristics?
SilverRail makes it easy for any travel retailer, including TMC, OTA, OTB, and GDS, to sell rail. We accomplish this by taking complex rail company content, normalizing it on our platform, and making it available to any travel organization through a multi-market API. We also have conversion-boosting tools that help travelers make better decisions, including seat maps, calendar price searches, split ticketing, and white-label booking flows.
Of all the solutions you offer, which one is the most interesting?
An example of a product that helps travelers find the best fares is Calendar Price Search. This allows travelers to see the price of a 90-day train ticket, very similar to how most airline websites work.
How are you helping your business become more sustainable for your customers?
Rail is proven to be the most environmentally friendly way to travel, and by making it easier, our products directly contribute to improving sustainability for our customers. Companies are trending to reduce their carbon footprint and introducing rail-first travel policies, leading travel management companies to think about how they can offer customers a better rail offer. Ta.
What can we expect from SilverRail in 2024?
We are doubling down on our investment in technology to further enrich our platform in terms of content and features. A third chapter of the study, called Train Over Plane, will also be published soon, looking at trends such as governments phasing out domestic flights and the impact of high-speed rail and market liberalization on modal shift. . Keep an eye out for our next issue, due out this month, as we look at corporate travel policies and are packed with interesting insights.