Railcard train travel to offer less of a discount

Image source, Getty Images

  • Author, Jeremy Culley
  • Role, 大象传媒 News

The train fare discount being offered to Railcard users is being cut by operators this month.

Savings are advertised as being one-third and are currently applied at a rate of 34% for Railcards held by people including those aged 16-30 and over 60.

The discount will be trimmed to 33.4% from the middle of September as the rail operators looks to boost income from fares.

While the move will add only small amounts to individual ticket prices, a pro-rail group has described it as a "step in the wrong direction".

The cut will take effect from 15 September, the PA news agency understands.

An off-peak return from London to Manchester, which costs 拢109 at full price, is available for 拢72.55 on Sunday 15 September for railcard users.

The same ticket on Saturday 14 September is reduced to 拢71.90.

Other railcards affected include those for families travelling with children, people with a disability and military veterans.

Other examples of anytime return fare increases for railcard holders include from 拢194.15 to 拢195.90 for Cardiff to London, and from 拢72.60 to 拢73.25 for Birmingham to Manchester.

A section on railcard discounts on the National Rail Enquiries website was updated in June to remove references to 34%.

Bruce Williamson, of lobby group Railfuture, said: "While this represents a very tiny increase in fares for some passengers, it's a step in the wrong direction.

"As the slogan goes, every little helps, so why risk irritating passengers for a few pence?"

Michael Solomon Williams, of pressure group Campaign for Better Transport, called for the introduction of a northern network railcard to make the system "fairer" by giving passengers in the north of England "the same discount offered to many of their southern counterparts by regional railcards".

A spokesperson for Railcard, the organisation which manages the discount cards on behalf of train operators, said: "The cost of a Railcard hasn't increased for over 10 years and will continue to provide customers with a third off their rail fare for just 拢30 a year - a cost that can be made back in just one or two journeys."

The rail industry is striving to boost fares income, which remains lower than pre-coronavirus levels.

Office of Rail and Road figures show revenue from passengers was 拢10.3bn in the year to the end of March, compared with 拢12.7bn 2019-20.