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10150/E/1-PDF
English
Classification and Categorisation System for Tourist-friendly railway services and experiences
Format: Downloadable
The International Union of Railways (UIC), through its TopRail sector, has developed this IRS to promote and support the growing role of railways in the field of leisure tourism. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand has shifted toward more sustainable, immersive travel experiences, and rail offers a unique opportunity to contribute to environmentally responsible tourism while supporting regional development and cultural learning.
Rail tourism is defined by UIC TopRail as all tourism trips that either use railway transport as a primary or secondary mode of transport, or include a railway-based product, attraction, or experience. This includes both mainstream travel services and dedicated tourist railways, such as luxury trains, heritage lines, or scenic excursions.
As demand grows and railway undertakings seek to better serve the leisure market, the need for a collective understanding of what constitutes “tourist-friendly” rail services is becoming increasingly important. This IRS addresses that need by presenting a classification and categorisation system that can serve as a reference for railway undertakings, travel agents, and tourism stakeholders in order to promote rail’s appeal in terms of leisure tourism.
This IRS therefore addresses the challenge of how to position railways as a viable and appealing option for leisure travel in an increasingly competitive and sustainability-driven tourism landscape.Although tourism and railways have historically developed hand in hand, international Leisure tourism today underutilises rail transport’s potential. Despite clear environmental, cultural, and experiential benefits, only a small percentage of international tourists currently travel by train.
The lack of clear benchmarks and classifications for tourist-oriented rail services creates a barrier for both travellers and travel industry professionals in understanding and integrating rail into tourism offers. In addition, leisure travellers often cite issues such as unclear booking systems, inconsistent service quality, limited awareness of rail offers, and lack of end-to-end travel integration as obstacles.
This IRS proposes a framework to help identify, describe, classify, categorise, and promote services that meet the needs of leisure tourists, and to support railway companies in improving and marketing those services effectively. It contains:
- An overview of the historical and current relationship between railways and tourism
- Data-driven insights on the current status and potential growth of rail tourism worldwide
- A definition of tourist railways and tourist-friendly rail services and experiences
- A proposed classification system for tourist-friendly rail services: rolling stock and on-board experience, lines, stations, lounges
- A proposed categorisation system for each class: standard and excellence tourist-friendly
- Detailed charts containing the requirements for each class and each category, including the type of evidence required to support the fulfilment of every criterion
- Guidelines for companies willing to make their general outlook more tourist-friendly
| Author | UIC |
| ISBN | 978-2-7461-3631-1 |
| Pages | 65 |
10150/E/1-PDF
Data sheet
- Language
- English
- Format
- Downloadable
- Edition
- Ed. no.1
- Edition date
- 01/06/2026
- Publication date
- 26/06/2026
- Page number
- 65
- sku
- 10150/E/1-PDF
- Reference
- 10150
