{"id":65036,"date":"2025-05-01T07:05:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T07:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/65036\/"},"modified":"2025-05-01T07:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T07:05:10","slug":"rapid-fire-with-bjorn-bender-of-rail-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/65036\/","title":{"rendered":"Rapid Fire with Bj\u00f6rn Bender of Rail Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we count down to Phocuswright Europe<\/a>, taking place in Barcelona from June 10 through June 12, PhocusWire is shining the spotlight on conference speakers in a series of Q&As.<\/p>\n

Bj\u00f6rn Bender<\/a>, CEO of Rail Europe<\/a>, will take part in an executive panel \u201cThe Great Ground Shift\u201d on June 11. The panel will focus on ground transportation\u2019s ongoing transformation, with sector leaders discussing trends, challenges and opportunities that will shape the future of travel on the ground.<\/p>\n

Below, Bender opens up about experimentation with artificial intelligence (AI), the potential of collaboration in the mobility space and more.<\/p>\n

What are you working on currently that excites you?<\/p>\n

Right now at Rail Europe, we\u2019re really focused on making it easier for people to travel by train across the continent\u2014helping travelers book cross-border journeys more smoothly with tools to compare routes, find the best deals and plan everything in one place.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve also just made it possible for Eurail and Interrail passholders to reserve on our platform seats on Renfe<\/a> trains, which is a big step. And through our new partnership with Booking.com<\/a>, people can now book accommodation through our site too. All of this helps us move closer to our goal: making rail the easiest and most enjoyable way to explore Europe.<\/p>\n

In what areas are you currently experimenting with AI?<\/p>\n

AI is playing a growing role for us, and a lot of our focus right now is on improving our chatbots and virtual assistants to give travelers real-time help and more personalized recommendations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also using AI to make bookings smarter\u2014tailoring travel options and optimizing itineraries based on what people actually need. It\u2019s all about making the process faster, easier and more intuitive.<\/p>\n

What has been your greatest missed opportunity?<\/p>\n

I try not to dwell too much on missed opportunities, but if I had to name one area with huge untapped potential, it\u2019s collaboration in the mobility space.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still work to do when it comes to connecting the dots between different travel providers\u2014from trains to shared mobility and beyond. If we can come together more as an industry, I think we have a real shot at offering smoother, more sustainable door-to-door travel experiences.<\/p>\n

How quickly do you see digital ID taking hold in travel?<\/p>\n

Digital ID is definitely on the horizon, and I think it\u2019ll make a big difference in how we travel. That said, it won\u2019t happen overnight. We\u2019re seeing some promising developments but broad adoption will depend on regulations and how ready the travel ecosystem is. I\u2019d say we\u2019ll start seeing real progress over the next three to five years, especially in rail and air where the infrastructure is more advanced. At Rail Europe, we\u2019re making sure we\u2019re ready for when the time comes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one thing about travel you would tell newcomers to the industry?<\/p>\n

This industry moves fast, so flexibility and curiosity are key. My advice? Always start with the traveler. Tech trends will come and go, but if you focus on solving real problems\u2014making travel smoother, easier or more sustainable\u2014you\u2019ll be on the right path. Stay open to innovation, and remember that travel is about more than just getting from A to B\u2014it\u2019s about experiences and connections. Keep that human side in mind, no matter what part of the industry you’re in.<\/p>\n

Phocuswright Europe 2025<\/p>\n

Join us in Barcelona from June 10 to 12 where Bj\u00f6rn Bender\u00a0of Rail Europe, Florent Bannwarth of BlaBlaCar and Veronica Diquattro of B2C Europe, Omio will discuss the transformation of ground transportation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As we count down to Phocuswright Europe, taking place in Barcelona from June 10 through June 12, PhocusWire…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[1942,33323,33324,3210,33322,2000,299,5187,751,15601,15598,462,3690,3669,33325,15603,2510,15602],"class_list":{"0":"post-65036","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-back-office","10":"tag-biometrics","11":"tag-blockchain","12":"tag-booking-com","13":"tag-eu","14":"tag-europe","15":"tag-european","16":"tag-generative-ai","17":"tag-ground-transportation","18":"tag-home-2nd-tier","19":"tag-interview","20":"tag-machine-learning","21":"tag-online","22":"tag-phocuswright-europe-2025","23":"tag-travel-booking","24":"tag-travel-inspiration","25":"tag-travel-planning"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114431310476049579","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}