Orbitz for Business clients can now book Amtrak service in the U.S. through a partnership with rail distributor SilverRail.
The rail bookings have the same look and feel in the Orbitz for Business tool as air, hotel and car bookings, Orbitz for Business says, adding that it plans to expand the service to cover Canada and Europe rail service.
Particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S., rail service provides an alternative to short-haul flights, says Frank Petito, president of Orbitz for Business.
In addition to booking Amtrak service, Orbitz for Business clients also can cancel or change tickets online through the self-booking tool.
For travel managers, the new SilverRail partnership also brings reporting features for Amtrak bookings.
Brian Hoyt, a spokesman for Orbitz Worldwide, the parent of Orbitz for Business, says the company is "seriously looking" at implementing rail for its Europe sites.
There are no plans to implement rail for Orbitz Worldwide's leisure sites in the U.S., Hoyt says, unless demand picks up.