Loco2

Loco2 was a United Kingdom-based online rail-ticket retailer and journey-booking platform founded in 2006 by siblings Kate Andrews and Jamie Andrews. The business began with a broader low-carbon travel ambition, reflected in the name Loco2, a play on locomotive travel and the phrase “low CO2.” Its focus subsequently narrowed to European rail, with the company building technology that brought together fares and reservation systems from multiple national railway operators. Although founded in 2006, Loco2 began trading from London in 2012. Its service was designed to make cross-border rail booking more comparable with airline booking: customers could search routes, compare fares and reserve journeys involving different operators through one online interface. The platform progressively connected with major rail systems and operators in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Italy. It supported tickets for services including Eurostar, France’s TGV, Germany’s ICE, Spain’s AVE, Italy’s Frecciarossa and Italo, and other major European high-speed and intercity products. It also offered operator-specific discounted fares, such as advance and promotional tickets, where those products were available through its distribution integrations. The company’s service was delivered through its website and, from 2016, dedicated iOS and Android applications. A carbon-counting feature was incorporated into the booking process, reinforcing the brand’s environmental positioning and communicating the potential emissions advantage of rail travel over comparable journeys by air or car. From 2018, the platform also expanded into selected international bus journeys, while rail remained its core activity. Loco2 pursued partnerships and industry initiatives alongside its consumer service. In 2013 it worked with The Guardian on Guardian Trains, a branded version of its booking application. Its founders also advocated improved access to and standardisation of rail data, arguing that more open and consistent information would improve passenger choice and help protect traveller rights. A 2013 hack day at Google Campus in London demonstrated possible uses of open rail data. The company raised investment from private angel investors, including individuals associated with sustainability and travel businesses. It was acquired on 5 July 2017 by e-voyageurs Groupe, the SNCF-affiliated parent of OUI.sncf. The acquisition gave Loco2 access to additional resources and connected it with SNCF’s international online rail-retailing strategy. The founders announced their departure in December 2018. In November 2019, the Loco2 website and applications were rebranded as Rail Europe, marking the end of Loco2 as the principal customer-facing brand while continuing the platform’s role in European rail distribution.

Loco2 originated in 2006 as the project of Kate Andrews, who was completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Sussex. The initial concept was a low-carbon travel company focused on journeys made without flying. As the founders refined the proposition, European rail became the central business opportunity. Jamie Andrews joined his sister, and technical director Jon Leighton helped develop the software and integrations needed to sell tickets across national railway systems. The company’s early challenge was structural: European rail travel was divided among separate operators, reservation platforms and fare rules. From 2011 onward, Loco2 began connecting to the booking systems of major European rail providers. It started trading from London in 2012 and developed an interface through which customers could search and purchase journeys involving several countries or operators. The service combined standard fares with selected operator-specific discounts, including advance and promotional products. This aggregation model distinguished Loco2 from single-country railway websites and supported the practical growth of cross-border rail travel. Loco2 also promoted the environmental case for rail. Its name referenced both locomotives and lower carbon emissions, and the booking process included a carbon-counting function. The feature was intended to help travellers understand the emissions implications of their route and to associate the brand with more sustainable mobility. The business raised capital from private investors and angel groups; reference material describes total funding of approximately £1 million, although detailed round-by-round financial information is not available here. In 2013, Loco2 collaborated with The Guardian on Guardian Trains, a branded booking interface. The same period saw the company engage with the wider rail-technology ecosystem. Jamie Andrews called for more consistent and accessible rail data, arguing that standardised information could improve competition, passenger rights and the usability of independent booking services. Loco2 also hosted a hack day at Google Campus in London to illustrate potential applications of open rail data. These activities supported its identity as both a consumer booking service and a technology company working around the limitations of fragmented transport data. The platform’s operator coverage expanded across the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Integrations included the Rail Delivery Group in the UK, SNCF in France, Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn in Germany, SNCB in Belgium, Renfe in Spain, and Italo and Trenitalia in Italy. The catalogue included major high-speed services such as TGV, ICE, Eurostar, AVE, Thalys, Frecciarossa and Italo. From 2018, selected bus journeys were also added, although rail remained the principal category. Loco2 undertook a full visual and technical redesign in 2016. The update changed the logo, colour scheme and user experience, and the company released applications for iOS in April and Android in July. Mobile access extended the booking service beyond the desktop website and created a platform that could be used during multi-stage journeys. On 5 July 2017, Loco2 was acquired by e-voyageurs Groupe, the SNCF group responsible for digital travel services and associated with OUI.sncf. The acquisition was intended to provide investment for Loco2’s search and booking technology while strengthening SNCF’s international rail-retailing position. Loco2 initially continued as an independent operation under its established identity, and the founders remained involved for a period after the transaction. In December 2018, Kate and Jamie Andrews announced their departure. The transition to the SNCF group’s international strategy culminated in November 2019, when the website and applications were rebranded Rail Europe. The change replaced Loco2 as the main consumer-facing identity but preserved the underlying purpose of selling rail products across the United Kingdom and Europe. The Wikipedia subject is therefore the Rail Europe UK service, formerly known as Loco2, rather than an unrelated company using the Loco2 name.

• 2019

  Loco2 becomes Rail Europe

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  The website and applications were rebranded Rail Europe in November.

• 2018

  Founders leave the business

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  Kate and Jamie Andrews announced their departure from Loco2 in December.

• 2017

  Acquisition by e-voyageurs Groupe

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  e-voyageurs Groupe acquired Loco2 on 5 July, bringing it into the SNCF digital travel organisation.

• 2016

  Platform redesign and mobile expansion

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  Loco2 introduced a redesigned identity and booking platform and released iOS and Android apps.

• 2013

  Guardian Trains launches

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  Loco2 partnered with The Guardian to provide a Guardian-branded train-ticket booking service.

• 2012

  Trading begins from London

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  The company began trading as a London-based online rail-booking business.

• 2011

  European rail-system integrations begin

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  Loco2 began integrating with major European rail booking systems, laying the groundwork for cross-border ticket sales.

• 2006

  Loco2 is founded

  [1]Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org

  Kate Andrews founded the business with the aim of developing a lower-carbon travel company; Jamie Andrews later joined as co-founder.

A technology-led alternative to fragmented national rail booking systems, positioned around convenient cross-border reservations, transparent fare comparison and lower-carbon travel.

• Online travel booking · 2012

  Loco2 online booking platform

  The core website allowed users to search and book train journeys across the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. Its principal distinction was the aggregation of multiple operators and reservation systems, making it possible to purchase connected or cross-border journeys through one interface. The platform offered regular fares alongside selected discounted, advance and promotional products supplied by participating operators.

• Mobile travel application · 2016

  Loco2 mobile applications

  Loco2 released an iOS application in April 2016 and an Android application in July 2016. The apps extended the company’s multi-operator rail search and ticket-booking functionality to smartphones and used a simplified icon version of the brand identity. Both applications were subsequently included in the Rail Europe rebrand.

• Travel information feature

  Carbon-counting journey tool

  The booking process included a carbon-counting facility intended to show the environmental implications of a selected journey. The feature supported Loco2’s original low-carbon travel rationale and its positioning of rail as a lower-emissions alternative to some air and car journeys.

• Rail ticketing

  European high-speed rail tickets

  The service sold tickets for major European high-speed and intercity networks, including Eurostar, TGV, ICE, AVE, Thalys, Frecciarossa and Italo. Coverage depended on integrations with the relevant national or private operator systems and enabled customers to plan international journeys spanning multiple rail networks.

• 2013Guardian Trains

  United Kingdom

  Loco2 collaborated with The Guardian to launch a Guardian-branded version of its train-ticket booking application.

  Outcome. The partnership broadened the service’s consumer distribution through a media-branded booking experience.

  Source
• 2013Open rail data hack day

  United Kingdom · Europe

  Loco2 held a hack day at Google Campus in London to demonstrate how accessible rail data could support new passenger and booking applications.

  Outcome. The event reinforced the company’s advocacy for more open and standardised rail information.

  Source

• 2019

  Rebrand the service as Rail EuropeStrategy

  Background

  Following its integration into the e-voyageurs and SNCF structure, the business needed a customer-facing identity aligned with the group’s international rail distribution activities.

  Action taken

  The Loco2 website and mobile applications were rebranded Rail Europe in November 2019.

  Aftermath

  Loco2 ceased to be the primary customer-facing brand, while the online booking service continued under the Rail Europe name.

  Source

• 2017

  Join e-voyageurs GroupeM&A

  Background

  Loco2 operated as an independent rail-booking technology business but needed further resources to expand its search, booking and international distribution capabilities.

  Action taken

  e-voyageurs Groupe acquired Loco2 on 5 July 2017. The buyer was associated with SNCF and OUI.sncf.

  Aftermath

  Loco2 remained an identifiable business for a period, while becoming part of SNCF’s broader international digital rail-retailing strategy.

  Source

1. 1Raileurope.co.uken.wikipedia.org