Discounts for travellers on trains with a National Railcard will be cut later this month, a news agency reveals.
The reduced fares travellers receive with a railcard will be cut from 34% to 33.4% from 15 September across its Railcard schemes, according to the Press Association.
This will affect the range for train users which includes the 16-25, 26-30 and ‘Senior Railcard’ for those aged 60 years old and over.
The cut will also be applied to the Disabled person’s option and the Two Together Railcard, which allows two people to benefit from the discount as long as they travel together.
Many train advertisements stopped promoting the 34% price cuts in June and advertised the discount as being a third-off. But, East Midlands Railway and Heathrow Express continue to use 34% as the level of discount.
While the reduction is just 0.6%, the decision by train operators to chip away at the deal has been questioned by a campaign group.
Bruce Williamson, of lobby group Railfuture, told PA news agency: “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?”
‘Cost of Railcard hasn’t increased for over 10 years’
Following the decision, a spokesperson for Railcard, which runs the discounted cards on behalf of the train operators in the UK, 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.”
As it stands, all railcard options cost £30 for the year, apart from for disabled travellers, who can get a railcard for £20.
If you opt for a discount on fares for three years on the cards where that is an option, it’ll cost £70 in total, which is around £23.30 each year.
Meanwhile, travelling on trains in the UK has been heavily disrupted in the last two years, since strikes over working conditions and pay led to the first walkout by workers in June 2022.
However, the latest round of strikes by train drivers set for every weekend up to 10 November have been cancelled.
