Grayling slashes rail fares for a generation of rail passengers
New railcard extending child fares for 16 and 17 year olds announced.
- up to 1.2 million more young people to benefit from half price rail travel as new railcard extends child fares to 16 and 17 year olds (including peak and season tickets) in time for new academic year in September
- millions of 26 to 30 year olds will also benefit with the roll-out of the industry-led, government backed 26-30 Railcard today, cutting a third off most rail tickets
- government 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 olds has been announced today (2 January 2019) by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
The new 16 & 17 Railcard will be launched this coming September (2019) with up to 1.2 million young people guaranteed a 50% discount on rail travel to coincide with the new academic year.
The announcement comes on the same day the rail industry launches the 26-30 Railcard, benefitting 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.
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.
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