Introduction
Introduction to FIP facilities for TOC new starters
FIP Facilities for New Employees
New TOC employees can use FIP staff travel facilities on participating rail and shipping companies in Europe after completing 12 months' service.
FIP stands for Facilités de circulation Internationales du Personnel des chemins de fer (International Travel Facilities for Railway Staff). It is a group of European rail and shipping carriers that have agreed to offer staff travel facilities to each other on a reciprocal basis.
Rail Staff Travel Limited (RSTL) represents GB National Rail within FIP.
RST will contact new TOC employees by e-mail shortly before they complete 12 months' service advising them how to apply for FIP facilities.
What is FIP?
The FIP organisation is a group of European rail and shipping companies that offer staff travel facilities to each other’s employees on a reciprocal basis.
Rail Staff Travel Limited (RSTL) is the FIP representative for all TOCs in Britain and provides these facilities as a goodwill arrangement—they are not part of your employment contract.
Different Eligibility Rules Apply
The FIP group sets its own rules for eligibility which may differ from those set by Rail Staff Travel for national rail staff travel benefits in Britain.
The FIP facilities provided to an employee
Types of FIP Facilities
There are two types of FIP facilities:
- FIP International Reduced Rate Card (FIP Card): Gives unlimited discounted leisure travel.
- FIP Coupons: Provide a limited annual allocation of free leisure travel.
Your passport is required when using FIP facilities, and the name on your FIP card must match your passport.
Applying for FIP Facilities
After 12 months of service, TOC employees can apply to Rail Staff Travel Limited (RSTL) for FIP facilities. They are issued for the same class of travel as your Rail Staff Leisure Card.
FIP International Reduced Rate Card
- A FIP Card is issued to the employee and each eligible family member.
- Valid for 2 calendar years and renewed automatically.
- Discounts are usually 50% (sometimes 75%) off the full adult fare. Some international trains use “Global Fares,” which are priced differently—check the relevant country page for the operator you intend to use.
- FIP discounts are only available on the adult fare (even for children). On some operators, public child fares maybe cheaper. Please note also that the ages for which children can take advantage of child fares or travel for free differs between operators. Check the relevant country page for the operator you intend to use to see what the ages for child fares are.
FIP Coupons
Employees can apply for coupons when needed. Please only apply for coupons that you intend to use.
Key points:
- Separate coupons are issued for each railway or shipping company.
- You can apply for different carriers at different times for separate holidays.
- Not all carriers offer coupons for free travel (e.g., Eurostar, Attica Ferries, Stena Line Irish Sea services and ŽFBH in Bosnia Herzegovina do not).
- Some carriers only offer free travel to employees, not partners or children.
- Coupons are valid for 3 months from the outward travel date. Each coupon has 4 date boxes, each valid for 2 days of unlimited free travel (the date entered and the following day until 23:59).
- Free travel covers the fare only. You must pay reservation fees, supplements, and port taxes.
- Allocation is per calendar year (usually one per carrier).
- For trains crossing borders, you need coupons for the main carrier in each country.
The Europe and FIP page lists carriers and shows how many coupons you can apply for each year.
Where you can go with FIP facilities
Getting from Britain to Europe
You can use your FIP facilities to travel from Britain to Northern Ireland or Europe by:
- Buying FIP discounted tickets for Eurostar, or
- Using FIP coupons for Stena Line ferries from Harwich to the Hook of Holland.
- Using FIP discounted tickets for Stena Line Irish Sea services to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.
Where FIP Facilities Apply
Within Europe, FIP facilities are valid on major rail companies such as:
- NIR (Northern Ireland)
- CIE (Republic of Ireland)
- SNCF (France)
- SNCB (Belgium)
- NS (Netherlands)
- DB (Germany)
- ÖBB (Austria and Lichtenstein)
- TrenItalia (Italy)
- RENFE (Spain)
- CP (Portugal)
- CD (Czech Republic)
…and many more. The Europe and FIP page has the full list.
Where FIP Facilities Do Not Apply
FIP facilities are generally not valid:
- On franchised, open-access, or private operators (some examples are TGV OUIGO in France, Leo Express and RegioJet in Czechia, Avlo and Iryo services in Spain etc)
- On regional or urban commuter routes subsidised by local authorities (even if run by the national operator)
- In Corsica, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Sweden
- On some DB services in Germany (see the list on the page for Germany)
Reservations and supplements
On many high-speed and long-distance intercity routes, you must book reservations in advance.
On some high-speed and long-distance intercity services supplements also apply when using FIP coupons.
For full details check the specific country guide. It’s recommended to review this before planning your trip.
How you can book travel using FIP facilities
Applying for FIP Coupons
Apply to Rail Staff Travel Limited (RSTL) at least 3 weeks before your trip. Coupons will be posted to your home address about 2 weeks before your outward travel date.
Booking Tickets and Reservations Before Leaving Britain
- A few travel agents in Britain can book FIP tickets and reservations.
- If you have an FIP Card, you can make bookings even if you plan to use FIP coupons and haven’t received them yet.
- For Eurostar FIP tickets, you can also buy them in person at London St Pancras by showing your FIP Card.
Buying Tickets in Europe
Discounted tickets can be purchased at station ticket offices in Europe. However, in some countries—such as the Netherlands and Germany—not all ticket offices are authorised to sell FIP discounted tickets. Check the relevant country page for details.