VIA Rail partners to expand global reach

VIA Rail Canada goes international by establishing a partnership with the passenger rail carrier alliance company AccesRail. The partnership will extend VIA Rail’s distribution reach to over 120,000 travel agencies around the world through AccesRail’s airline connectivity to Global Distribution Systems, which enable the integration of rail services into travel agents’ booking systems.

AccesRail offers an easy way for passenger rail carriers to sell tickets through IATA certified travel agents, by using their established airline booking systems. The integration of rail suppliers in the global distribution systems will improve VIA Rail’s international sales by encouraging intermodal transport.

The partnership is aligned with VIA Rail’s intermodal strategy, initiated in 2010, for which it won the 2013 AirRail Concept of the Year at the Global AirRail Awards ceremony in Frankfurt, Germany. VIA Rail’s inter-modal strategy makes transport more efficient by increasing interconnectivity with other passenger carriers and multiplying travel options for customers.