30 needs to be the new 25, and not just with the railcard scheme – rising living costs means we millennials need more support

As far as subject lines go, “The announcement you’ve been waiting for!” is among the most presumptuous I’ve ever read. On this occasion, however, the sender wasn’t wrong. This week, between the spam, sat an email from National Rail, announcing that the much-anticipated 26-30 railcard will be available before the year is out.

It was Philip Hammond who announced its creation in 2017, in his autumn Budget. What he didn’t emphasise, however, was that after a pilot in East Anglia, only 10,000 would be available when it ran its nationwide trial period. Nor that it would take over a year for it to become available to all four million of us in that category. By the time it launches, a whopping one million young people will no longer be eligible for it; an undoubtedly frustrating position to be in.

Reactions to the announcement were mixed on Twitter. One man asked why the scheme was needed, to which another replied, “It helps to fulfil the entitlement culture (millennials) appear to have developed.” There were also accusations of age discrimination, of using taxes to “subsidise other people’s lifestyles” and of trying to bribe young voters.

Of course, there are some substantial issues circling what is, in reality, a relatively small initiative. Train fares were increased by 3.5 per cent in 2018 and are likely to rise by the same figure yet again in 2019. Along with the ongoing chaos of Southern Railways, and the ever-escalating delays on Northern trains and other services, the train system in this country is clearly broken. A 26-30 railcard might just be plaster for a much bigger wound, but it’s not one that many of us in that age category can afford to snub.

I’m 28 and I live in Leeds, but meetings and events related to my job as a freelance journalist require me to go to London at least once a month. My husband, who is 27, commutes from Leeds to Sheffield five days a week for his job. We have a shared car, but petrol and parking are expensive and polluting; so, wherever possible, we take the train. We’ll both buy a railcard without hesitation.

Why? Because Leeds to London is a journey of around 2 hours 20 minutes, yet the cheapest return journey you can buy is £59. An open return is £110. With a rail card, the prices are reduced to £48.20 and £72.60 respectively. My husband can save as much as £936 per year with a rail card, travelling the shorter journey between Leeds and Sheffield. The rail card’s £30 price tag is definitely worth it.

Many of our friends fall into the 26 to 30 category. Some have turned down short notice job interviews and opportunities and others rarely visit family because they can’t afford the trip. These are smart, ambitious individuals working far harder than their salaries warrant. They entered the world of work eagerly, most with degrees, only to find an utter bar brawl over jobs. As such, they’ve been forced into additional work and unpaid internships, slowing down their career ladder and earning progression. Those braving London have been hit with huge rental and living fees, while those elsewhere simply exchange lower living costs for extortionate travel costs.

My friends and I by no means believe older generations didn’t have it hard, or that other groups in society don’t deserve a rail card too. But the fact is that twentysomethings are not entitled: a lot of us are skint and struggling in a job and housing market we didn’t create.

The mid-twenties have long been the cut-off age for schemes, programmes and opportunities aimed at young people. This seemingly arbitrary line is drawn time and again. The original young person’s rail card bracket is 16-25 (though you can technically apply until the end of your 26th year if you commit to a three-year card in advance.) Elsewhere in travel, the National Express Coachcard only applies to those up to 26 too, as does the Eurostar’s Youth Fare.

It’s a trend in all areas of society. A new government scheme for care leavers announced this week that it will offer support via advisers up to the age of 25. Shelter’s emergency housing scheme has the same cut-off age. In the arts, the Tate and the RSCs £5 tickets exclude those over 25. Even The X Factor assigns those 25 and above into perennially tragic “Overs” category.

The railcard’s introduction is flawed but it sets a good precedent for other organisations to follow: raising of the age to which young people need support. Millennials, let me remind you, are set to be the first generation which is poorer than their parents. Calls of coddled snowflakes aside, our rent is rising and our ability to buy our own houses is falling. Don’t forget the fact that we have to pay interest on university fees, which have further risen since I graduated to a staggering £9,250 per year.

Other schemes and programmes need to recognise that, in accordance with rising costs in almost every area of life, young people now need support and opportunities beyond their mid-twenties. The world has changed; this habitual cut-off age of 25 must too.