Train operators to bring in stealth Railcard ticket price rises

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Train operators are preparing to trim railcard discounts, with a pro-rail group describing the move as “a step in the wrong direction”.

Fare reductions will be changed from 34 per cent to 33.4 per cent from 15 September, the PA news agency understands.

Railcards that will be affected include those held by passenger groups such as people aged 16-30 or 60 and over, families travelling with children, people with a disability and military veterans.

Discounts are currently calculated as 34 per cent, but train operators will take advantage of an easing of system limitations to apply a smaller reduction of 33.4 per cent.

Examples of Anytime Return fare increases for railcard holders include from £194.15 to £195.90 for a journey from Cardiff to London, and from £72.60 to £73.25 for a Birmingham to Manchester trip.

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

Most railcard advertising states that the cards provide savings of a third off usual fares, but some operators’ websites continue to give the 34 per cent figure, including East Midlands Railway and Heathrow Express.

Bruce Williamson, of lobby group Railfuture, said: “Whilst 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, from the 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 that 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 £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 £10.3 billion in the year to the end of March, compared with £12.7bn in 2019-20.

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