Priv card - any changes?

[RJ]

Left slightly confused at an encounter on a train from London to Newcastle yesterday and wondered if anyone might be able to shed some light on it.

Guard comes along, I show my RST e-ticket and my purple bannered Rail Staff Leisure Card along with my TOC issued ID. She carried on, then came back and asked to see my pass again and asked who I work for. She went on to say that my Rail Staff Leisure Card was out of date and that RSTL had reissued the cards.

I looked at the card which shows an expiry date of 31/10/2023.

She then said that Rail Staff Travel had reissued the cards with a gold banner along the top, which she had and that another passholder further down the carriage had, and that I should be carrying one of those. She eventually moved on, her parting comment being that I need to chase up the issue of a new card with the gold banner with RST.

I thought I’d better check in as maybe something has changed that I’m not aware of. I’m not eligible for the Staff Travel Card which expires in June and currently has a yellow banner or a Gold Status pass and I’m unaware of any mid-year changes to the Rail Staff Leisure Card scheme. I’m not expecting next year’s card to be issued for another 6-8 weeks. There is also the possibility that the Rail Staff Leisure card is a particularly obscure and rare pass to see so such experiences should be expected?

Any ideas?

 

[12LDA28C]

Left slightly confused at an encounter on a train from London to Newcastle yesterday and wondered if anyone might be able to shed some light on it.

Guard comes along, I show my RST e-ticket and my purple bannered Rail Staff Leisure Card along with my TOC issued ID. She carried on, then came back and asked to see my pass again and asked who I work for. She went on to say that my Rail Staff Leisure Card was out of date and that RSTL had reissued the cards.

I looked at the card which shows an expiry date of 31/10/2023.

She then said that Rail Staff Travel had reissued the cards with a gold banner along the top, which she had and that another passholder further down the carriage had, and that I should be carrying one of those. She eventually moved on, her parting comment being that I need to chase up the issue of a new card with the gold banner with RST.

I thought I’d better check in as maybe something has changed that I’m not aware of. I’m not eligible for the Staff Travel Card which expires in June and currently has a yellow banner or a Gold Status pass and I’m unaware of any mid-year changes to the Rail Staff Leisure Card scheme. I’m not expecting next year’s card to be issued for another 6-8 weeks. There is also the possibility that the Rail Staff Leisure card is a particularly obscure and rare pass to see so such experiences should be expected?

Any ideas?

The Rail Staff Leisure Card is certainly not obscure or rare and indeed any non-protected rail staff should be in possession of such a card for buying priv-rate tickets. My copy does not have a 'gold banner' along the top, but a purple one however the validity date (23/23) and the BR double arrow logo are both embossed in white on a gold foil background so maybe this is what she meant.

I don't however recall the RSLC being reissued this year as she claims, as far as I'm aware this is the original card issued.

 

[father_jack]

It's either valid or invalid. If invalid it's withdrawn, you get a zero excess and a report is made.

This is the current one.

 

[12LDA28C]

It's either valid or invalid. If invalid it's withdrawn, you get a zero excess and a report is made.

This is the current one.

Clearly that is not the current one.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

The Online Only ones now issued to Network Rail staff have a dark green / gold coloured header.

Protected staff boxes are now yellow I think.

My Leisure Travel Card which expires in October this year is Purple.

 

[185]

She's on about the safeguarded boxes with the yellow top. Put this down to (her) lack of knowledge, but she sort of (eventually) made the right decision by not withdrawing it.

- All purple top TOCNE passes are being replaced only when they expire in October. There's been no mid-term withdrawal & reissue.

 

[father_jack]

Clearly that is not the current one.

Only the year figures are different

 

[Haywain]

Only the year figures are different

And the colour of the strip across the top. And the background colour and pattern.

 

[12LDA28C]

Only the year figures are different

That's more like it but they do change colour, as clearly shown in the photos.

 

[Nippy]

My safe guarded PRIV has the yellow/orange banner. The one that runs from April 23 to June 24. So I guess she was mistaken…..

 

[Chester27]

Just seems to have been some misunderstanding. I feel that there must now be more 'non-safeguarded' passes out there after 25+ years since the end of 'boxes' for new entrants to the industry.

OP, you did the right thing to check, travel facilities are a huge perk of the job - but risking them is a gamble that some people seem to take!

 

[RJ]

Thank you all for the collective wisdom. I'm going to decide against making contact with Rail Staff Travel and continue as I have been. First time in 13 years on the railway I've encountered a ticket inspection where a privilege rate card hasn't been instantly recognised as valid. It caught me off guard.

She's on about the safeguarded boxes with the yellow top. Put this down to (her) lack of knowledge, but she sort of (eventually) made the right decision by not withdrawing it.

- All purple top TOCNE passes are being replaced only when they expire in October. There's been no mid-term withdrawal & reissue.

This is the conclusion I figured was most likely, but wanted to check anyway! Maybe LNER staff get the Staff Travel Card instead of the Rail Staff Leisure Card, in which case lucky them

 

[Haywain]

Maybe LNER staff get the Staff Travel Card instead of the Rail Staff Leisure Card, in which case lucky them

They are not so lucky, I can assure you.

 

[Wallsendmag]

They are not so lucky, I can assure you.

Only the really lucky (or old) people

 

[Chester27]

Only the really lucky (or old) people

OK if you’re one of those lucky people, I guess

 

[12LDA28C]

Only the really lucky (or old) people

Or literally the people who joined the railway prior to I think April 1996. So you wouldn't have to be that old.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Or literally the people who joined the railway prior to I think April 1996. So you wouldn't have to be that old.

That's now 27 years ago. So if you started at 16 in 1996, you'd be 43 now.

From where I sit, 43 isn't old. But I fear there are less enlightened ('younger') people on the forum who may not yet have the (ahem) perspective to see that.