For the first time in the 61-year history of Eurail, travelers can access an all-in-one mobile pass through the Rail Planner app. The new Italy Mobile Pass is currently available at the Eurail web shop, with a mobile version of the multi-country Global Passes, and additional One Country Passes, to follow later this year.
Trenitalia, Italy’s primary train operator, is the inaugural carrier in the Eurail system whose rail services will be available via the new digital solution.
As part of the e-pass pilot launch with Trenitalia railways, Eurail Pass holders will be able to manage their travels from their personal devices as they ride the rails across Italy. Replacing Eurail’s paper travel diary, the mobile solution allows travelers to easily record each ride on the go with their Rail Planner app. Instead of having to manually transcribe each ride into the passbook, the information is digitized on the app and ticket inspectors can scan a barcode to confirm the Pass is valid. To reduce the risk of fraud or falsification, the Pass also contains visual validation security elements for ticket inspectors.
As part of the launch, Eurail initiated training and field testing for Trenitalia ticket inspectors to ensure a smooth transition to the new pass format.
“I could not be prouder of this milestone,” said Carlo Boselli, Eurail’s general manager. “Trenitalia was among the first European carriers to introduce e-ticketing for its national services years ago. They were also the first carrier to make seat reservations digitally available for our customers in the Rail Planner app. I look forward to extending this project with other carriers later this year.”
The launch of the Mobile Pass for Italy is the first step in a comprehensive digitization project across the brand’s 35 participating carriers throughout Europe, with the ultimate goal being an entirely digital Global Pass. Several years in the making, the tech initiative will ultimately create a centralized distribution system for Eurail passes, negating the need for paper tickets. The entire Eurail community will benefit from the new digital platform and Mobile Pass, offering travelers an easy and flexible solution, shorter time to market for Eurail and a secure and precise revenue solution for participating carriers.
For more information, visit eurail.com.
