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Trainline Holds Guidance as Europe Turns Profitable

Trainline held its full-year guidance as its European consumer arm turned profitable for the first time, lifting first-half adjusted EBITDA 7% even as revenue slipped 1% and UK consumer revenue fell.

Trainline (LSE: TRN) kept its full-year guidance after first-half adjusted EBITDA rose 7% to £100m, even though revenue slipped 1% to £233m. The rail and coach ticketing platform reported results for the six months to 31 August at 7am today.

The shares closed at 213p yesterday and have yet to trade on the figures. The chart below shows the last five sessions.

TRN.LSE

Net ticket sales were broadly flat at £3,263m, against £3,250m in the first half of FY2026. Revenue fell from £235m, which management expected because of the April 2026 change to refund rules. Adjusted earnings per share rose 10% to 13.8p from 12.6p.

The profit came from Europe and cost control. International Consumer swung from an £8m adjusted EBITDA loss to a £6m profit, helped by marketing spend cut 36% to £25m. UK Consumer adjusted EBITDA fell 9% to £46m, on revenue down 5% to £102m, and Trainline Solutions fell 7% to £48m. Operating profit slipped 5% to £64m from £68m.

Grouped bar chart comparing Trainline's revenue, adjusted EBITDA and operating profit in the first halves of FY2026 and FY2027.
Trainline’s first-half revenue, adjusted EBITDA and operating profit, £m. Source: Trainline results, 4 November 2026.

Guidance for FY2027 is unchanged: net ticket sales of £6.2bn to £6.45bn, underlying revenue of £440m to £455m and adjusted EBITDA of about 2.9% of net ticket sales. International Consumer should stay above breakeven.

“Those strengths showed in the first half, despite multiple headwinds, and today we are reconfirming our full-year guidance.”

Ian Brown, chief executive

A £100m buyback is under way, with £6m bought by the 31st of October. Net debt, though, rose to £212m from £170m in February.

The swing factors are regulatory. The Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation on the 19th of August into how fees are presented, costing £4m so far, and Trainline cannot quantify the outcome. Mr Brown said the draft retail code from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) “needs further strengthening”. Transport for London’s Project Oval puts about £150m of annualised UK net ticket sales at risk.

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