Vacations By Rail Parent Company Sold to U.K.-Based Private Equity Firm

Great Rail Journeys, the parent company of Vacations By Rail, was acquired by U.K.-based private equity firm Vitruvian Partners on Thursday.

The deal will see Great Rail Journeys’ current management team, led by CEO Dave Riley, remain in place through the transition.

Vacations By Rail has been part of Great Rail Journeys’ portfolio since 2019, an acquisition aimed at tapping into the growing U.S. rail travel market. Since then, the company has tripled the size of its U.S. business.

Vitruvian Partners has several current travel investments, including Travel Counsellors, Sykes Cottages, Civitatis, Klook, and OAG. All of those companies are headquartered outside North America.

Previously, Vitruvian invested in Skyscanner and JacTravel.