Trainline sales hit record; unveils £75m buyback
Online ticketing platform said fiscal year sales hit a record of almost £6bn and announced a new £75m share buyback.
Total group sales for the year to February rose 13% to £5.9bn, the company said in a trading update on Thursday.
Group adjusted core earnings as a percentage of net ticket sales were expected to be marginally ahead of the company's previously upgraded guidance of around 2.6%. Trainline said it continues to expect adjusted core earnings of between 2.6% and 2.7% of net ticket sales in financial 2026.
The company added that it was talking to the government about its plans to reform the rail industry and impact on the ticketing sector.
Shares in Trainline slumped last month on news that Great British Railway (GBR), the arms-length body that will oversee the UK's railway system, would be able to reform the fares and ticketing system without operators' agreement.
"Trainline will continue to invest for growth in the UK - including increasingly leveraging generative AI ... reflecting that (it) already thrives in a competitive environment in the UK (and) GBR's retailing will likely take several years to crystallise, with the precursory establishment of GBR as a governing body only expected to happen by 2027 at the earliest," the company said.
Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
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