SAP Concur and Trainline Partner Solutions have announced a new partnership that will allow business travellers and travel managers to book cross-border rail trips through Concur Travel, streamlining the travel experience. Trainline business travel

Previously, due to the complexity and large number of rail providers in European regions, businesses have needed multiple licenses to book their employees on cross-border trips, and even then, individual bookings for each rail leg are required, making the experience and journey difficult and overly fragmented.

SAP Concur and Trainline’s partnership changes this by bringing the consumer journey into the business world. Business travellers, travel managers, and travel management companies can now instead book multiple domestic and international rail journeys for the same trip, greatly simplifying the process. It will bring the diverse mix of rail operators and distribution strategies into one single integration via the Concur Travel platform, offering a comprehensive and seamless cross-border rail experience.

With rail an increasingly popular transport choice for journeys under two and a half hours – and a more sustainable alternative to air travel – it is essential for a more connected rail for business travel.

Paul Dear, Vice President – Concur Travel EMEA, SAP Concur, said,

“At SAP Concur, we work hard to identify solutions for travel managers’ problems. One such headache was the ability – or lack of – to facilitate cross-border rail. Our solution with Trainline directly fixes that, whilst also meaning travel managers can offer more sustainable and affordable route options to their business travellers – providing a smooth and unified user experience across the entire SAP Concur portfolio.”

Andrew Cruttenden, General Manager Trainline Partner Solutions, added:

“We’re proud to strengthen our collaboration with SAP Concur and extend our partnership across Europe. While the rail market continues to grow in both complexity and scale but as demand from business travellers, their needs and the needs of travel management companies remain clear: they want seamless access to a comprehensive rail offering—whether for domestic, cross-border, or international journeys—across the UK and Europe.

They expect the same intuitive features they enjoy from consumer platforms, including full autonomy to manage their bookings. By bringing this experience into Concur Travel, we’re together making rail a more accessible, sustainable travel option for business travellers.”

France’s national rail carrier SNCF, Spain’s Renfe, and the Eurostar have been scheduled for SAP Concur migration by September, with content from another Spanish rail provider, Iryo, and Italy’s Trenitalia due on Concur Travel by the end of the year. Trainline business travel

Final thoughts

The SAP Concur–Trainline partnership is more than a convenience upgrade—it’s a strategic alignment with the future of business mobility. As enterprises increasingly prioritize sustainability, user autonomy, and unified booking experiences, this integration mirrors what we’ve seen in air travel with platforms like Amadeus and NDC-based aggregators: simplification, personalization, and control through a single pane of glass.

Much like how TripActions (now Navan) reimagined corporate travel by consolidating flights, hotels, and expenses in one intuitive interface, SAP Concur is now doing the same for rail—a mode of transport that’s gaining traction not only for its environmental benefits but also its efficiency on short- to mid-haul European routes.

The move also signals a shift in how travel tech platforms must respond to fragmented ecosystems. In Europe, where national rail carriers operate under varying systems and regulations, this partnership acts as a harmonizer—akin to what Skyscanner did for budget airlines or what Trainline itself achieved in the consumer space.

In essence, this collaboration isn’t just about rail—it’s about rethinking corporate travel infrastructure to meet the demands of a climate-conscious, tech-savvy, and autonomy-driven workforce. It sets a new benchmark for how travel management tools should evolve: connected, comprehensive, and commuter-centric.