Eurostar Tech Update Signals Action in Once-Sleepy Rail Sector
Photo Credit: This photo shows Eurostar's high-speed passenger rail service linking the U.K. with mainland Europe in action. The company has awarded a major tech contract to Sqills, a Dutch company that has recently stolen some business away from more established tech players. Eurostar
Skift Take
There used to be only two ways for railways to make money: luck and state handouts. But that's changing, as countries look at privatization and as railways look to technology to streamline operations. Sqills and SilverRail are two tech vendors that smell an opportunity.
For a decade, European rail companies have turned to outside vendors to provide parts of their rail distribution services, including Amadeus, IBM, Siemens' HaCon, and Expedia Inc.-owned SilverRail.
But in the past 18 months, Dutch rail tech vendor Sqills has enjoyed a streak of business wins.
On Wednesday, Sqills announced it has begun to implement its sales and distribution suite with rail operator Eurostar.
Sqills previously announced an implementation with Ouigo — the budget train service run by French railway operator SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français). It moved that brand off of a system powered by Amadeus.
Last year, Irish Rail went live with a Sqills system that enabled the operator of intercity routes to more quickly process changes to a traveler's ticket, update fares instantly across all points of sale, and change fares dynamically as demand and supply changes on a route.
Sqills, which has 150 employees, said it would announce further co
