Does anywhere else in Europe have the variety of railcards we have? Most places I'm aware of either have almost none or a national railcard?
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RDG trial/Budget announcement: 26-30 Railcard from Spring 2018
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Hopefully one of our more well travelled members will be able to confirm as I'm not aware of any.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
DB may well have more, having two discount levels x 1st and 2nd class, and a junior variant of 2nd class only.
SBB has only the one I believe, though may have multiple price levels for it. (That's how I think we should do it - one set of discounts/T&Cs but the price different depending on entitlement).
SBB has only the one I believe, though may have multiple price levels for it. (That's how I think we should do it - one set of discounts/T&Cs but the price different depending on entitlement).
For DB, with the exception of the junior version, the cards are available to everyone, with only the product varying, rather than eligibility, so I would count that as being one railcard (with different discounts).
Gerald Fiennes
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I don't think has any one has as comprehensive a range of railcards as we do. Probably France and Austria come closest with options for weekend travellers, families and senior citizens. The French ones in general can't be used on local journeys in the Paris region. DB offers 25 and 50% cards, with no peak hour restrictions, but has no special facilities for senior citizens, youth or those with disabilities etc. Switzerland has a 50% card and a 'Gleis 7' card for youth < 26 years but which can only be used after 1900. NS offers an off-peak only card in various guises, as does SNCB/NMBS. Both of these have additional discounts for the over 60s.
But presumably these are available to everyone.
We have many railcards and most stations have racks with all of the individual ones, but I rarely see anyone take any. Maybe now we have the digital cards, it's time to streamline and produce a simple leaflet covering all cards - and for websites to have a wizard style system to establish what railcards might suit someone (what's your age, how much do you travel, do you have children, do you travel with a partner, are you a full time student etc).
I expect a lot of people know the obvious railcards, like young persons (yet don't know it can be for older students) and senior or disabled, but do they know the others? Just as I bet many people have no clue about plusBus.
I expect a lot of people know the obvious railcards, like young persons (yet don't know it can be for older students) and senior or disabled, but do they know the others? Just as I bet many people have no clue about plusBus.
dcsprior
Member
Yeah, the same occurred to me too (not that I could benefit from this knowledge, as I'm too old), but I wondered if this would mean you were guilty of avoiding payment of a rail fare, if ever someone were to investigate.
Ireland used to have a range including student, 16-25 but not student, a general one valid only for weekend intercity trips (out Fri-Sun back by Monday), and an annual season ticket holder discount (only valid for online bookings, not at stations). There was never a senior one as over 65s get free nationwide rail (and bus/tram) travel. The 16-25 non-student and weekender have however been withdrawn.
Gerald Fiennes
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Yes, that's right. In the UK we have a wide range of railcard options (about 20 seem to be listed on NRE, with all the local variants) but no national rail card. NS, SNCB, DB and SBB do have a national card, the first two not being valid in weekday peaks.
Well indeed. It's a sorry state of affairs in this country.
When are the wonders of enterprise going to result in a national railcard !
Gareth Marston
Established Member
Our railcard sales are the equivalent of about 17% of the population of the town we serve we do see the plastic ones bought online and to date I have seen one person buy with a digital railcard. We do have a local railcard the Cambrian Railcard. The sales of these are equivalent to 10% of the population.Sales of Seniors are equal to the other national cards combined.
Gareth Marston
Established Member
If there was one national card it would have to be off peak.valid after 0930 weekdays?
I think it being off-peak would be reasonable. Railcards exist to generate off-peak travel.
I disagree in respect of the 16-25 railcard. I will repeat a recent example I posted.
Consider Stevenage-London Terminals. Anytime Day Return is £21.30 or £3,612 per annum. This is a huge amount for a young worker to pay to commute into London at a time in their career when they're probably not earning much.
With a 16-25 railcard they can travel for £14.05 per day, which also has the benefit allowing young worker to pay as they go so they avoid the upfront cost of an annual season ticket. Assuming 5 weeks holiday and 8 bank holidays this works out at 227 journeys costing £3,189. I know season tickets offer other benefits but they're unlikely to trump the saving here.
This is true, but its true for everyone who has to work in London. Of course, Government/RDG could decide to have more relaxed conditions for the 16 - 25 holders of the railcard for precisely the reasons you state (the example a few posts back of the Goldman Sachs worker using a YP railcard to commute to a £50k job not withstanding), but that's outside of the usual commercial motive for having railcards, which is to encourage discretionary travel at off-peak times.
I doubt the Government would want to introduce more restrictions on the use of the 16-25 railcard at a time when they're trying to assist this group of people with the cost of living, purchasing a house etc.
I agree that it's unpalatable for someone earning £50k per year to be able to use a 16-25 railcard to obtain discounted travel to work but that'll be a tiny minority of users. Far better to have something that works for the majority which the current set-up does.
Gareth Marston
Established Member
The local railcards I pretty sure have no restrictions certainly not the ones in Wales. The intention is / was just to get people traveling. Having any peak/ off peak restriction is non sensical on many regional lines. If we had one national definition off peak/ peak and where that applies the railcard restrictions could be linked to it.
Some of these lines could do with some off-peak fares for starters !
16 to 25 Railcard to become 16 to 30 railcard with people able to use it until they hit 32 if they buy a 3 year one before hitting 30
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/49154...one-under-32-in-bid-to-win-back-young-voters/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/49154...one-under-32-in-bid-to-win-back-young-voters/
Do we have a source that isn't the S*n?
No it is a Sun exclusive
The normal "student travelcard" has in effect been withdrawn too, it is mainly marketed for its lower Leap card fares and caps, and some store discounts - it appears from my own experience in a college town where a Leap card is of no use to have close to 0% penetration among students not from an area where a Leap card is of use.
A student card from any college worldwide is now accepted by Irish Rail for single/return tickets, and one from most colleges in Ireland is valid for season tickets. Unusually, considering their discount is usually a maximum of €5 vs Irish Rail's €40+ for walk-ups, Bus Eireann is stricter, requiring an Irish student card even for singles and returns
Translink Northern Ireland's yLink card, costing £8, is available to anyone between 16 and 23 (even those living outside Northern Ireland, though you must apply in person at a bus or rail station). It is accepted by Irish Rail (and Bus Eireann) for student fares (as it replaced Translink's Student Identity Card), so in a sense it is a relatively unknown, unofficial "16-23 railcard".
greatkingrat
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42052750
I'm a bit confused about what is happening now as the trial hasn't even started yet, and yet RDG are already declaring it a success?
I'm a bit confused about what is happening now as the trial hasn't even started yet, and yet RDG are already declaring it a success?
I just read that story and too was confused. Perhaps the BBC has got it completely wrong again?
Government came in and saw new PR opportunities?
The problem here is they're missing a whole group of people who are 28-35 who have also been shat on by the Government. Granted, not as much as perhaps the post-2000's but anyone who was born 1984/5 up to 1999 has been completely missed out.
WelshBluebird
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Not sure how that is the case.
I am currently 27, born in 1990. My 16-25 railcard ran out in May this year (when I turned 27). Assuming the 26-30 railcard is introduced in the first half of next year as expected, I'll get 3 years of being able to have one after just 1 year of not being able to have a railcard. Would I like the new railcard to carry on until I am 35 - of course! But there is no way you can say I'd "completely miss out".
And if you were born in 1999, well you'd only be 18 this year so really have no idea what you are on about!
Unless you are running a decade out in your numbers, in which case apologies!
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