# Railteam > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Railteam > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Railteam.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railteam > Source revision: 1351250440 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Alliance of European high-speed rail companies}} {{Infobox organization | name = Railteam B.V. | image = Railteam logo.svg | image_border = | image_size = | caption = | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | formation = July 2007 | extinction = | type = High-speed rail alliance | headquarters = [Amsterdam](/source/Amsterdam), [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands){{cite web |title=About Railteam B.V. |url=https://www.railteam.eu/en/why-railteam/about-railteam-b-v/ |access-date=27 September 2021}} | location = Europe | num_members = 7 operators + 1 associate operator | language = | leader_title = | leader_name = | key_people = | num_staff = | budget = | website = [http://www.railteam.eu www.railteam.eu] }} '''Railteam B.V.''' is a closed company with limited liability ([B.V.](/source/B.V.)) based in [Amsterdam](/source/Amsterdam), [the Netherlands](/source/the_Netherlands).{{cite web |title=About Railteam B.V. |url=https://www.railteam.eu/en/why-railteam/about-railteam-b-v/ |access-date=27 September 2021}} It operates as an [alliance](/source/alliance) of European railway companies in the field of international [high-speed rail](/source/high-speed_rail) in Europe, modelled on the [airline alliances](/source/airline_alliances){{cite web |title=Railway Gazette: "Railteam bids to relaunch international rail travel" |url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/railteam-bids-to-relaunch-international-rail-travel/32212.article |website=}} and was founded in [Brussels](/source/Brussels) on 2 July 2007. Taken together, the Railteam alliance has more than 1000 high-speed trains and 44 lounges.{{cite web |title=ÖBB Lounge |url=https://www.oebb.at/en/reiseplanung-services/am-bahnhof/lounges |publisher=ÖBB |access-date=19 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=DB Lounge |url=https://www.bahn.de/service/zug/db_lounge |publisher=DB Vertrieb GmbH |access-date=19 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=TGV INOUI Grand Voyageur lounges |url=https://www.sncf.com/en/passenger-offer/travel-by-train/tgv-inoui/all-about-business-premiere |publisher=SNCF |access-date=19 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Salon SNCF Grand Voyageur |url=https://www.tgv-lyria.com/ch/en/travelling/stations-and-accessibility/lounges |access-date=27 September 2021}}{{cite web |title=NS International Lounges |url=https://www.nsinternational.com/en/stations/nsinternational-lounge |access-date=19 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Eurostar Lounges |url=https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en/travel-info/travel-planning/travel-classes/business-premier |access-date=19 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Thalys Lounges |url=https://www.thalys.com/de/en/info-services/enjoy-the-comfort-of-our-lounges |access-date=19 November 2021}} With the members of the Railteam alliance, passengers can reach over 100 European destinations on high-speed trains.{{cite web |title=A European high-speed rail network: not a reality but an ineffective patchwork |url=https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eca/special-reports/high-speed-rail-19-2018/en/#chapter2 |publisher=European Court of Auditors |access-date=19 November 2021}} == Members and Network == thumb|Railteam network {{legend|#00b2f2|'''Blue lines:''' Lines of the Railteam network}} {{legend|#00b2f2|'''Large dots:''' Main hubs of the Railteam route network}} Any railway company in Europe that meets the criteria of the alliance can become a member. There are full members of Railteam who hold shares in the company, as well as associate members. All participating railways act as strategic partners within the Railteam alliance and remain entrepreneurially independent. By this alliance, trains are seen as high-speed when they reach a minimum speed of 230 km/h: [Intercity Express](/source/Intercity_Express), [TGV inOui](/source/TGV_inOui), [Eurostar](/source/Eurostar), [TGV Lyria](/source/TGV_Lyria), and [Railjet](/source/Railjet). The transport network of the long-distance trains offered in Railteam covers about 100 cities in seven countries ([Belgium](/source/Belgium), [Germany](/source/Germany), [France](/source/France), [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom), [the Netherlands](/source/the_Netherlands), [Austria](/source/Austria) and [Switzerland](/source/Switzerland)), which are connected by a network of about 15,000 kilometres. The full members include the following companies:{{cite web |title=About Railteam B.V. |url=https://www.railteam.eu/en/why-railteam/about-railteam-b-v/ |website=Railteam B.V. |access-date=27 September 2021}} * [Deutsche Bahn](/source/Deutsche_Bahn) (DB) – 20% * [SNCF Voyageurs](/source/SNCF_Voyageurs) – 20% * [National Railway Company of Belgium](/source/National_Railway_Company_of_Belgium) (NMBS/SNCB) – 10% * [Eurostar Group](/source/Eurostar_Group) – 20% * [NS International](/source/NS_International) – 10% * [Austrian Federal Railways](/source/Austrian_Federal_Railways) (ÖBB) – 10% * [Swiss Federal Railways](/source/Swiss_Federal_Railways) (SBB-CFF-FFS) – 10% The associate members include: * Lyria (subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs with 74% and SBB with 26%{{cite web |title=About TGV Lyria |url=https://www.tgv-lyria.com/fr/en/about-lyria |access-date=27 September 2021}}) The main hubs of the route network are [Brussels-South](/source/Brussels-South_railway_station), Lille/[Lille Europe](/source/Lille-Europe_station), [Paris](/source/Paris), [Cologne Hbf](/source/Cologne_Hbf), [Frankfurt Hbf](/source/Frankfurt_(Main)_Hauptbahnhof), Stuttgart, Basel and Zurich. {{gallery |title=Highspeed trains of Railteam's members |Image:TGV Sud-Est 01 Carmillon 30 ans.jpg|[TGV](/source/TGV) |Image:Eurostar train.jpg|[Eurostar](/source/Eurostar) |Image:ICE3-Einfahrt-Dortmund.jpg|[Intercity-Express](/source/Intercity-Express) (ICE) |Image:Railjet-Oesterreich.JPG|[Railjet](/source/Railjet) || |Image:TGV Lyria 4401 Zürich.JPG|[TGV Lyria](/source/TGV_Lyria) }} == Goals == Europe's high-speed railways create added value for passengers by joining forces and continuously working to increase the capacity of the high-speed network and upgrade routes. The aim is to offer passengers seamless travel chains between many European cities, with shorter journey times and more frequent connections, as well as uniform service and quality standards. The development of a common network should thus offer a competitive alternative to car and plane for destinations within Europe.{{cite web |title=Our alliance |url=https://www.railteam.eu/en/why-railteam/our-alliance/ |access-date=27 September 2021}} ==Company form== Railteam is a corporation under Dutch law, a so-called closed company with limited liability (besloten vennootschap,{{Cite web |title=Private limited company (bv) in the Netherlands |url=https://business.gov.nl/starting-your-business/choosing-a-business-structure/private-limited-company-in-the-netherlands/ |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=business.gov.nl |language=en}} or B.V.) with its registered office in Amsterdam, comparable to a GmbH in Germany. The organisational structure is a mixture of normal company structure and project structure. == Services to the passengers == === HOTNAT === The HOTNAT (''hop on the next available train'') protection is a commercial agreement between the Railteam members. In case of a missed train connection between their [high speed trains](/source/High-speed_rail), HOTNAT allows passengers to hop on the next available high-speed train without additional cost, even when travelling with two separate train tickets.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Mark |title=TRAIN TRAVEL IN EUROPE {{!}} A beginner's guide |url=https://www.seat61.com/european-train-travel.htm#HOTNAT |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=www.seat61.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Railteam services |url=https://www.railteam.eu/en/for-your-journey/railteam-services/ |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=www.railteam.eu}} HOTNAT is valid: * if the missed connection is caused by a delay or a cancellation (since 2018){{Cite web |date=2018-11-07 |title=Railteam services - Wayback Machine (archive comparison) |url=https://www.railteam.eu/en/for-your-journey/railteam-services/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107195236/https://www.railteam.eu/en/for-your-journey/railteam-services/ |archive-date=2018-11-07 |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=Railteam |url-status=dead }} of the preceding train. * even if the tickets are non-rechangeable and non-refundable. However, there are restrictions to the HOTNAT protection. It is valid: * only if the passenger has tickets with a connection between two [high speed trains](/source/high_speed_trains) of the 8 Railteam members, not if an [InterCity](/source/InterCity), [EuroCity](/source/EuroCity) or other classical train is involved. * only in the station of the originally planned connection, and only if it is one of the 8 Railteam main hubs or larger connecting station{{Cite web |title=Am I eligible for HOTNAT? - Railteam |url=https://www.railteam.eu/en/am-I-eligible-for-HOTNAT/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=www.railteam.eu |language=en}} (also the transfer between the Paris stations [Nord](/source/Gare_du_Nord), [Est](/source/Gare_de_l'Est), [Gare de Lyon](/source/Gare_de_Lyon) and [Montparnasse](/source/Gare_Montparnasse) is covered). * only if there is capacity available on board of the train. The passenger must ask for a "''hop on the next available train"'' stamp on the ticket or a form from the [conductor](/source/Conductor_(rail)) (train manager) of the delayed or cancelled train, or from the staff at the service desk at the station''.'' It is not necessary to change the ticket or to rebook. Depending on seat availability, the passenger can sit in any available seat. This can mean standing up when the train is full. Besides HOTNAT, there are other protections for rail passengers to use the next possible train without additional costs when they miss a connecting train and lose their seat reservation due to a delay or cancellation of the first train: * the strong protection of the [CIV](/source/CIV_(rail_travel)), only when travelling with a single ticket (through ticket) * the [Agreement on Journey Continuation](/source/Agreement_on_Journey_Continuation) (AJC) when the CIV or HOTNAT protection is not valid, for a missed connection with separate tickets, between 15 major European rail operators === Lounges for frequent travellers === As a first step towards unification, mutual recognition of the frequent traveller programmes with regard to access to the lounges{{cite news |title=Railteam weitet den Service aus |pages=7 |work=DB Welt |issue=July 2008}} at the stations of the member companies was completed. Thus, since 1 July 2007, holders of a DB BahnCard with bahn.comfort status and holders of an SBB 1st class general season ticket have been allowed to use the lounges of the participating companies. The individual members have set up differently designed programmes for their respective frequent travellers. These are: * Deutsche Bahn: bahn.comfort (since 2002) * SNCF Voyageurs: Grand Voyageur * Eurostar: ClubEurostar * NS International: NS Business Card * SBB General-Abo 1st class * ÖBB: Österreichcard 1st class{{cite web |title=ÖBB Österreichcard |url=https://www.oebb.at/en/tickets-kundenkarten/kundenkarten/oesterreichcard |access-date=27 September 2021}} ==External links== {{Portal|Trains|Europe}} * {{Official website|http://www.railteam.eu}} ==References== {{Reflist}} Category:Railteam Category:Transport companies established in 2007 Category:Companies based in Amsterdam --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Railteam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railteam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railteam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.