Business travellers using Sabre's GetThere online self booking tool can reserve seats on Eurostar and three more big European rail networks. Meanwhile, GetThere is developing new technology that will enable users to compare rail fares with those available from no-frills and full-service airlines in the same screen display. Bookings on UK domestic train services have been possible for some time following an agreement between the company and online specialist www.thetrainline.com. Now travellers can book seats on the SNCF (French railways) domestic network and Channel Tunnel trains between London and Paris and Brussels.

They can also make reservations on Thalys and Lyria international trains - the former serving points in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, the latter running between French and Swiss stations.