By James Simons -
Millions of young people are poised to benefit from half price rail travel as new railcard extends child fares to 16 and 17 year old’s (including peak and season tickets) in time for new academic year in September.
The welcome industry-led government backed Railcard today, is also set to benefit 26-30 year old’s, cutting a third off most rail tickets fares. The governments says it is committed to a fairer deal for young people travelling on the rail network to school, training and work. Fare rises tied to inflation for sixth year in a row, no more inflation-busting fare rises of the past
A brand new rail card that extends half-price child rail fares to 16 and 17 year old’s will st the scheme off, much to the delight of the beneficiaries in the age range targeted.
The announcement today by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling can only be received well, and demonstrates positive efforts to relieve large sections of the British public of excess costs when using public transport.
The new 16 & 17 Railcard will be launched this coming September with up to 1.2 million young people guaranteed a 50% discount on rail travel to coincide with the new academic year. It will be aligned with the new schooling year. Grayling’s office told The Eye Of Media.Com that the new initiative is designed to ”provide effective support to young people in accessing education and training”, adding that the Department Of Transport is working with the rail industry to achieve this objective.
The announcement comes on the same day the rail industry launches the 26-30 Railcard, benefiting up to 4.5 million people with a third off their travel. It now means that rail travellers from the ages of 16 to 30 will be able to benefit from cut-price fares across the country. Grayling’s office said the inclusion of 26-30 year old’s in their plan was a demonstration of the government’s support to young people”, also aimed at facilitating the educational and professional endeavours of those in that age bracket.
The news comes in the wake of an announced increase in rail fares today by an average of 3.1% in England and Wales , and almost 3% in Scotland. Many commuters are displeased with the news of higher prices in rail fares, especially in light of some of the huge delays in waiting times experienced by many passengers in 2018. In accurate context, British transport trains run on time more than its disappointing trail of late arrivals. However, the slash in rail fares for young people is a sensible one no young person in Britain will complain about.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said:
The new 16 & 17 and 26-30 Railcard will cut fares for a generation of travellers, ensuring more young people than ever will be able to travel on our railways for less.
Today’s announcement of a new 16 & 17 Railcard could cut the cost of travel by hundreds of pounds a year for young people and their parents, making it cheaper to get to school, college and work.
This builds on the roll-out of the new 26-30 Railcard and our record investment into our railways, ensuring people get the frequent, affordable and reliable journeys they deserve.
The new railcard will guarantee 50% off rail travel until the cardholder reaches their 18th birthday. Further details will be available ahead of the card’s launch in the summer.The move comes as the government freezes regulated fares in line with inflation for other travellers for the sixth year running. Since 2014 fares have, on average, remained below the annual inflation cap.
The government wants to see lower fares in the future and has launched root and branch review of the rail industry looking at fares reform and affordability for passengers. Reforms will begin in 2020”.