Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You can only receive staff travel facilities as a consequence of your employment when your employer, the TOC, has informed RST of your details and commencement of employment. This they do on a regular basis from their HR department.

Each TOC has different processes so it is not possible for us to be able to give you information on this page about when we will receive this data in relation to your start date. However, this information should be proved to you as a part of your induction process.

As soon as we receive the data from your TOC and you have reached the necessary service time (which varies by TOC) then we will be able to issue you with the staff travel facilities for which you are eligible.

The short answer is that you don’t have to do anything as we are only able to record amendments to your employment details when we are informed by your TOC.

As a Safeguarded Employee you may be able to retain your travel facilities in retirement. As a rough guide, you must be eligible to draw your railway pension immediately on your retirement date. Normally this would be at age 50, although in some circumstances you may have to be 55 years of age before you are eligible to receive a railway pension. You will only receive retired travel facilities if your employer confirms you have retired (by virtue of your age).

The TOCs will inform us of all leavers, including retirements, regularly. Once we have received these details we will contact you and let you know what you need to do at this time.

You don’t have to do anything as we are only able to record amendments to your employment details when we are informed by the TOC that you are leaving and also by the one that you are joining.

As a Safeguarded Employee you will retain your travel facilities when you move between eligible employers if you do not work for an ineligible employer in any intervening period. Any gap in service can be no more than 3 years, although this period restriction is waived if the reason for leaving is redundancy. You may have to hand your TOC specific travel facilities back to your employer before you leave (as well as any eligible family members' cards). On joining your new TOC you may be eligible for new TOC specific facilities through them.

TOCs inform us of all leavers and joiners regularly. Once we have received these details we will make the necessary changes and may contact you or issue the correct facilities as required.

N.B. Open-access operators such as Grand Central, Heathrow Express and Hull Trains are not eligible employers who can offer Safeguarded travel facilities.

This all depends upon who you are joining.

If your new employer has a Staff Travel Agreement with RST that permits mobility, such as Network Rail, and you do not work for an ineligible employer in any intervening period, then as a Safeguarded Employee you will probably retain your Safeguarded travel facilities. Any gap in service can be no more than 3 years, although this period restriction is waived if the reason for leaving is redundancy.

If, however, your new employer does not have a Staff Travel Agreement with RST, even if they undertake work in the rail industry, then, unless you are eligible due to redundancy or retirement when leaving the TOC, you will lose your eligibility to Safeguarded staff travel facilities. You will not be able to re-obtain these at a later date, e.g. you will not get the travel facilities back when you reach your minimum pension age or retire.

If you are joining an eligible employer, then you don’t have to do anything as we are only able to record amendments to your employment details when we are informed by the TOC that you are leaving and also by your new employer that you are joining them.

You will have to hand your TOC specific travel facilities back to your TOC before you leave (as well as any eligible family members' cards).

Both TOCs and other employers will inform us of all leavers and joiners regularly. Once we have received these details we will make the necessary changes and may contact you or issue the correct facilities as required.

As you are leaving the rail industry, then, unless you are eligible to retain your travel facilities due to redundancy or retirement, when leaving the TOC you will lose your eligibility to Safeguarded staff travel facilities. You will not be able to re-obtain these at a later date, e.g. you will not get the travel facilities back when you reach your minimum pension age or retire.

You will have to hand all of your staff travel facilities back to your TOC before you leave (as well as any eligible family members' cards).

TOCs inform us of all leavers regularly. Once we have received these details we will make the necessary changes and may contact you as required.

As a Non-Safeguarded Employee you will not be able to retain your national and international travel facilities in retirement. However, some TOCs do provide TOC specific travel facilities for some of their retired staff – you will need to contact your HR department before you leave to discuss this with them.

TOCs will inform us of all leavers regularly. You will need to return any outstanding cards either to your TOC or directly to RST.

You don’t have to do anything as we are only able to record amendments to your employment details when we are informed by the TOC that you are leaving and also by the one that you are joining.

As a Non-Safeguarded Employee you will retain your travel facilities when you move between eligible employers (i.e. another TOC) if there is no gap in service. You may have to hand your TOC specific travel facilities back to your employer before you leave (as well as any eligible family members' cards). On joining your new TOC you may be eligible for new TOC specific facilities through them.

TOCs inform us of all leavers and joiners regularly. Once we have received these details we will make the necessary changes and may contact you or issue the correct facilities as required.

As a Non-Safeguarded Employee you will not be able to retain your staff travel facilities when leaving your current employer, the TOC.

You will have to hand all of your travel facilities (and those of any eligible family members) back to your TOC before you leave. This means all of your national, international and TOC specific cards and passes.

TOCs inform us of all leavers regularly. You will need to return any outstanding cards either to your TOC or directly to RST.

As a Non-Safeguarded Employee you will not be able to retain your staff travel facilities when leaving your current employer, the TOC.

You will have to hand all of your travel facilities (and those of any eligible family members) back to your TOC before you leave. This means all of your national, international and TOC specific cards and passes.

TOCs inform us of all leavers regularly. You will need to return any outstanding cards either to your TOC or directly to RST.

This all depends upon which company you are moving to (i.e. is the new employer a TOC or eligible employer), what role you are taking with your new employer and whether your new employer has sufficient Status Pass quota to allocate one to you.

If all of these criteria are met then your new employer may be able to continue your Status Pass eligibility. If not, then you will need to return your Status Pass and all other 1st Class cards and passes to RST (together with those of any family members that hold them). All cards and passes except Status Passes will be reissued as Standard Class.

Holders of Blue Status Passes do not retain these when leaving one eligible employer to join another.

As a Safeguarded Employee, if you are eligible to retain your staff travel facilities in retirement, then you will be able to retain your Status Pass as well.

TOCs inform us of all leavers, including retirements, regularly. Once we have received these details we will contact you about your travel facilities including your Status Pass and let you know what you need to do at this time. Effectively, you will need to return your Status Pass (with the green background) as this will need to be reissued for leisure use only (with a red background).

You don’t need to do anything at the moment.

We will be notified of all changes to your grade due to promotion by your employer. At this point we will contact you about changing the travel facilities which may require return of the old ones for reissue.

Each TOC has different criteria. Based upon these we have processes in place that release and post the individual travel facilities to you when the agreed dates have been reached.

We add eligible family members to your record as soon as we receive the application from you. The travel facilities that they are eligible for will be released to you based upon the agreements that we have with your employer regarding the issue of travel facilities.

You don’t have to do anything as we are only able to record amendments to your employment details when we are informed by your employer.

As a Safeguarded Employee you may be able to retain your travel facilities in retirement. As a rough guide, you must be eligible to draw your pension immediately on your retirement date. Normally this would be at age 50, although in some circumstances you may have to be 55 years of age before you are eligible to receive a railway pension. You will only receive retired travel facilities if your employer confirms you have retired (by virtue of your age).

Employers inform us of all leavers, including retirements, regularly. Once we have received these details we will contact you about your status and let you know what you need to do at this time.

You don’t have to do anything as we are only able to record amendments to your employment details when we are informed by your employer that you are leaving and also by the TOC that you are joining.

As a Safeguarded Employee you will retain your travel facilities when you move between eligible employers if you do not work for an ineligible employer in any intervening period. Any gap in service can be no more than 3 years, although this period restriction is waived if the reason for leaving is redundancy. On joining the TOC you may also be eligible for new TOC specific facilities through them.

Employers and TOCs inform us of all leavers and joiners regularly. Once we have received these details we will make the necessary changes and may contact you or issue the correct facilities as required.

This all depends upon who you are joining.

If your new employer also has a Staff Travel Agreement with RST that permits mobility, such as Network Rail, and you do not work for an ineligible employer in any intervening period, then as a Safeguarded Employee you will probably retain your Safeguarded travel facilities.

If, however, your new employer does not have a Staff Travel Agreement with RST, even if they work in the rail industry, then, unless you are eligible due to redundancy or retirement when leaving your current employer, you will lose your eligibility to Safeguarded staff travel facilities. You will not be able to re-obtain these at a later date, e.g. you will not get the travel facilities back when you reach your minimum pension age or retire.

If you are joining an eligible employer, then you don’t have to do anything as we are only able to record amendments to your employment details when we are informed by your employer that you are leaving and also by your new employer that you are joining them.

Employers inform us of all leavers and joiners regularly. Once we have received these details we will make the necessary changes and may contact you or issue the correct facilities as required.

As you are leaving the rail industry, then, unless you are eligible to retain your travel facilities due to redundancy or retirement, when leaving your employer you will lose your eligibility to Safeguarded staff travel facilities. You will not be able to re-obtain these at a later date, e.g. you will not get the travel facilities back when you reach your minimum pension age or retire.

You will have to hand all of your staff travel facilities back to your employer before you leave (as well as any eligible family members' cards).

Employers inform us of all leavers regularly. Once we have received these details we will make the necessary changes and may contact you as required.

This all depends upon which company you are moving to (i.e. is the new employer an eligible employer), what role you are taking with your new employer and whether your new employer has sufficient Status Pass quota to allocate one to you.

If all of these criteria are met then your new employer may be able to continue your Status Pass eligibility. If not, then you will need to return your Status Pass and all other 1st Class cards and passes to RST (together with those of any family members that hold them).All cards and passes except Status Passes will be reissued as Standard Class.

Holders of Blue Status Passes do not retain these when leaving one eligible employer to join another.

As a Safeguarded Employee, if you are eligible to retain your staff travel facilities in retirement, then you will be able to retain your Status Pass as well.

Employers inform us of all leavers, including retirements, regularly. Once we have received these details we will contact you about your travel facilities including your Status Pass and let you know what you need to do at this time. Effectively, you will need to return your Status Pass (with the green background) as this will need to be reissued for leisure use only (with a red background).

You don’t need to do anything at the moment.

We will be notified of all changes to your grade due to promotion by your employer. At this point we will contact you about changing the travel facilities which may require return of the old ones for reissue.

If you did not retain your travel facilities when you originally left the rail industry and haven’t had them since then it is highly unlikely that you are entitled to travel facilities. The rules regarding retention of your travel facilities are complex and you are subject to those which applied at the time you left, i.e. if you were entitled at that time, then you would already be receiving travel. The fact that you aren’t currently receiving them indicates that you weren’t entitled when you left. Even if the rules have changed since you left, they do not apply retrospectively.

In addition, the fact that you have now retired and are claiming your pension does not change your eligibility as the eligibility rules for pensions and travel facilities are completely different.

If you did not retain your travel facilities when you originally left the TOC/Employer and haven’t had them since then it is highly unlikely that you are entitled to travel facilities. The rules regarding retention of your travel facilities are complex and you are subject to those which applied at the time you left, i.e. if you were entitled at that time, then you would already be receiving travel. The fact that you aren’t currently receiving them indicates that you weren’t entitled when you left. Even if the rules have changed since you retired, they do not apply retrospectively.

In addition, the fact that you have now retired and are claiming your pension does not change your eligibility as the eligibility rules for pensions and for travel facilities are completely different.

The rules regarding retention of your travel facilities are complex and would have been applied at the time you left. Resignation is not a reason for leaving that ever allows you to retain your travel facilities, either at that time or at any time in the future.

In addition, the fact that you have now retired and are claiming your pension does not change your eligibility as the eligibility rules for pensions and for travel facilities are completely different.

The rules regarding retention of your travel facilities are complex and would have been applied at the time you left. Dismissal is not a reason for leaving that ever allows you to retain your travel facilities, either at that time or at any time in the future.

In addition, the fact that you have now retired and are claiming your pension does not change your eligibility as the eligibility rules for pensions and for travel facilities are completely different.

If you did not retain your travel facilities when you originally left the TOC/Employer and haven’t had them since then it is highly unlikely that you are entitled to travel facilities. The rules regarding retention of your travel facilities are complex, especially involving redundancy, and you are subject to those which applied at the time you left, i.e. if you were entitled at that time, then you would already be receiving travel. The fact that you aren’t currently receiving them indicates that you weren’t entitled when you left. Even if the rules have changed since you retired, they do not apply retrospectively.

In addition, the fact that you have now retired and are claiming your pension does not change your eligibility as the eligibility rules for pensions and for travel facilities are completely different.

If you qualify for a Senior Citizens’ Railcard (you don’t actually have to have one) and you have a Staff Travel Card that states that you are “Retired”, then you can take up to 4 children aged between 5 and 15 with you for a flat fare of £2 each way per child, travelling in Standard class only. Proof of eligibility to purchase a Senior Railcard must be produced together with your Retired Staff Travel Card when purchasing such tickets.

Unfortunately, as you don’t qualify for a Senior Citizens’ Railcard (as you are not over 60) even if you have a Staff Travel Card that states that you are “Retired”, then you do not qualify to purchase discounted tickets for children travelling with you and they will have to pay the standard child fare.

As soon as you change your hours then this will affect your travel facilities.

There are a minimum number of hours that you need to work to be able to retain travel facilities and these vary by different cards and passes.

The number of hours that you will be working, what travel facilities that you have, how old you are and your personal circumstances (especially how close you are to retirement) will all have a bearing on the decision that you need to make, as the travel facilities that you have at the point of retirement are what you will retain throughout retirement - they cannot be adjusted after that time. You may need to speak to you HR department or RST before making a final decision – we are always happy to give specific advice, in confidence, according to your personal circumstances.

As soon as you change your hours then this may affect your travel facilities.

There are a minimum number of hours that you need to work to be able to retain travel facilities and these vary by different cards.

You can now notify RST of your change of name (or that of your Dependant) by completing an online form on our Forms page.

• To notify us of your change of name please complete Employee Change of Name form from our forms page

   

• To notify us of your Dependant's change of name please complete Dependant Change of Name form from our forms page

   

In both instances you will need to supply a scan of evidence of your cour marriage or civil partnership certificate or copy of the deed poll. However, before we can issue you with new passes we will need to receive all of the old passes back. The exception is if you, as an Employee, need one of your passes for residential or duty purposes. In this case, please send us a copy of the pass and we will replace it without you sending it in to us. Once you have the new pass, you will then need to return the obsolete one to RST (by "signed for" delivery). Please note that staff travel facilities issued for leisure purposes only cannot be exchanged in advance..

You can also change the passes by returning them to us (by "signed for" delivery) with a covering letter enclosing a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate or copy of the deed poll, as appropriate. Please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

You can always email us to inform us of the change and attach a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate or copy of the deed poll to the email. Please follow the instructions above relating to the return of the old passes and cards.

Once we have received all of the required documentation and the old passes back, we will be able to process the change and issue the new passes for you.

Please remember that your passport is your proof of identity for any International travel using the FIP Card or International Coupons. Therefore, the name on these documents must match the name on your passport.

You can notify us by completing the Change of Address form from our forms page. This is the quickest way to notify RST of the change.

Alternately, you can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please ensure that your email includes your full name and previous address as well as your latest Staff Travel Card number or Rail Staff Leisure Card number so that we can make sure that we change the correct record.

You can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please ensure that your email includes your full name and previous email address/phone number as well as your latest Staff Travel Card number or Rail Staff Leisure Card number so that we can make sure that we change the correct record.

RST and RPMI are completely different companies that have no business link, although RPMI did administer Retired Staff Travel until April 2012.

RST are not allowed to share your personal information with any third party organisation, including RPMI, without your express permission and we do not have processes in place to allow this.

Similarly, RPMI are not allowed to share your personal information, such as your new address with us. Therefore, if you have informed RPMI of your change we would not have been passed this information.

Owing to your change of circumstances you must inform RST immediately and return your staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation. You must not attempt to use them.

As a widow(er), you obtain your eligibility to retain staff travel facilities through your dependency upon your late spouse/partner. As you have started a new relationship this dependency has ceased and, based upon the rules under which staff travel is provided, you have no further or future eligibility to staff travel.

Unfortunately, once staff travel facilities have been lost in this way you will not be eligible to regain them in the future.

s a widow(er), you obtain your eligibility to retain staff travel facilities through your dependency upon your late spouse/partner. As you have remarried then this dependency has ceased and, based upon the rules under which staff travel is provided against, you have no current or future eligibility to staff travel for yourself or your spouse.

Please, therefore, return your staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation.

Unfortunately, once staff travel facilities have been lost in this way you will not be eligible to regain them in the future. You must not attempt to use them.

As a widow(er), you obtain your eligibility to retain staff travel facilities through your dependency upon your late spouse/partner. As you have started a new relationship then this dependency has ceased and, based upon the rules under which staff travel is provided against, you have no current or future eligibility to staff travel for yourself or your partner.

Please, therefore, return your staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation. You must not attempt to use them.

Unfortunately, once staff travel facilities have been lost in this way you will not be eligible to regain them in the future.

If you qualify for a Senior Citizens’ Railcard (you don’t actually have to have one) and you have a Staff Travel Card that states that you are “Retired”, then you can take up to 4 children aged between 5 and 15 with you for a flat fare of £2 each way per child, travelling in Standard class only. Proof of eligibility to purchase a Senior Railcard must be produced together with your Retired Staff Travel Card when purchasing such tickets.

Unfortunately, as you don’t qualify for a Senior Citizens’ Railcard (as you are not over 60) even if you have a Staff Travel Card that states that you are “Retired”, then you do not qualify to purchase discounted tickets for children travelling with you and they will have to pay the standard child fare.

This depends upon whether you receive staff travel facilities through their record or not.

If you receive staff travel facilities as a Spouse/Partner through their record and providing that we have confirmation from them that you can act on their behalf (by phone, letter or email), then we will mark the record accordingly and can accept instructions from you.

If they are not able to give their consent in this way (e.g. owing to incapacity), then we will only be able to accept instructions from you if you can provide us with a copy of:

• a registered Power of Attorney showing you as their attorney, or
• a registered Deputyship showing you as their deputy, or
• a BF57 form issued to you as their appointee by the DWP (in respect of managing their state benefits).

Please note that each of the above options is subject of a separate FAQ below and the exact detail of what is required in each circumstance is therefore listed separately. You will need to follow the instructions for the appropriate documentation that you have.

This depends upon whether you receive staff travel facilities through their record or not.

If you receive staff travel facilities as a child dependant through their record, you are over the age of 18 and providing that we have confirmation from them that you can act on their behalf (by phone, letter or email), then we will mark the record accordingly and can accept instructions from you.

If they are not able to give their consent in this way (e.g. owing to incapacity), then we will only be able to accept instructions from you if you can provide us with a copy of:

• a registered Power of Attorney showing you as their attorney, or
• a registered Deputyship showing you as their deputy, or
• a BF57 form issued to you as their appointee by the DWP (in respect of managing their state benefits).

Please note that each of the above options is subject of a separate FAQ below and the exact detail of what is required in each circumstance is therefore listed separately. You will need to follow the instructions for the appropriate documentation that you have.

If you receive staff travel facilities as a Spouse/Partner through their record and providing that we have confirmation from them that you can act on their behalf (by phone, letter or email), then we will mark the record accordingly and can accept instructions from you.

Any instructions that we receive from the employee should make clear the extent of the authority that has been provided, e.g. whether it is just for a specific period of time or enduring. Please note that it cannot be given in respect of activities such as a change of address or proof of eligibility for which the employee is responsible for.

We would not normally expect there to be circumstances under which an adult child dependant (aged 18 and above) should act on behalf of an active employee in respect of any aspect of staff travel. Essentially, the eligibility to and responsibility for staff travel facilities must remain with the employee.

As an attorney that is named on a Power of Attorney that has been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) we will be able to accept instructions from you in respect of staff travel once we receive the following documentation from you.

Firstly, we will require a copy of the Power of Attorney that has either been stamped by the OPG or signed by the donor, solicitor or notary that it is a true copy (per OPG instructions).

Next, we will need proof of your name and address, e.g. a copy of a utility bill, financial institution statement, so that we can make the necessary changes to the contact elements of our record.

We will also request that you provide the employee’s address, especially if this has changed.

Once we have the required information, then we will make the necessary changes to our records, including the correspondence address, so that all future correspondence is sent to you.

Please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

As a deputy that is named on a Deputyship that has been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) we will be able to accept instructions from you in respect of staff travel once we receive the following documentation from you.

Firstly, we will require a copy of the Deputyship that has either been stamped by the OPG or signed by the donor, solicitor or notary that it is a true copy (per OPG instructions).

Next, we will need proof of your name and address, e.g. a copy of a utility bill, financial institution statement, so that we can make the necessary changes to the contact elements of our record.

We will also request that you provide the employee’s address, especially if this has changed.

Once we have the required information, then we will make the necessary changes to our records, including the correspondence address, so that all future correspondence is sent to you.

Please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

As an appointee that is named on a BF57 form issued by the DWP we will be able to accept instructions from you in respect of staff travel once we receive the following documentation from you.

Firstly, we will require a copy of the BF57 form.

Next, we will need proof of your name and address, e.g. a copy of a utility bill, financial institution statement, so that we can make the necessary changes to the contact elements of our record.

We will also request that you provide the employee’s address, especially if this has changed.

Once we have the required information, then we will make the necessary changes to our records, including the correspondence address, so that all future correspondence is sent to you.

Please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

A registered Power of Attorney or Deputyship is a legal way of giving a person that is trusted the authority to make decisions on behalf of the employee. It therefore protects the rights of the employee if/when they lose the mental capacity to act, or no longer wish to make decisions, for themselves.

If there is no legal documentation in place then we are unable to accept instructions from another person, except where this is to notify of the cessation of travel facilities due to death, illness or infirmity. This is to protect the integrity of the staff travel scheme and to ensure that eligible retired employees (and any eligible family members) continue to enjoy the benefits issued to them.

You can apply by using our Add Partner form which can be found on our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of your marriage or civil partnership certificate in JPEG or PDF format.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us a completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

Please remember that if you have had passes already issued to a former Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner and they have not been returned to us and have not expired yet, then you must return these to us for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery) before you can apply for your Spouse or Civil Partner. If you cannot return these passes, then you will have to wait until the latest of these passes has expired before you can apply for travel for your new Spouse or Civil Partner.

You can apply by using the Add Partner form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of a fully completed Partner Declaration (XX03) signed and stamped by a solicitor in JPEG or PDF format.

The Partner Declaration must be sworn before, and witnessed by, a Solicitor who should first verify the supplied documentation proving that you are continuously and permanently living together in the same property. The guidance notes on the Partner Declaration list all of the acceptable evidence.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of Partner Declaration attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us a completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of the Partner Declaration with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

Please remember that if you have had passes already issued to a former Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner and they have not been returned to us and have not expired yet, you must return these to us for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery) before you can apply for your Partner. If you can’t return these passes, then you will have to wait until the latest of these passes has expired before you can apply for travel for your new Partner.

Unfortunately, you will not be able to get staff travel facilities for your Partner as you do not live permanently and continuously at the same, single property. This requirement is defined by the rules of the scheme that apply across all National, International and TOC specific staff travel facilities.

If your circumstances change in the future, then you will be able to apply at that time.

You can change their passes by returning them to us (by "signed for" delivery) with a covering letter enclosing a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate. Please do not send originals in the post as RSTL cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

You can always email us to inform us of the change and attach a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate to the email. However, before we can issue your Spouse or Civil Partner with new passes we will need to receive all of their old passes back.

Once we have received all of the required documentation and the old passes back, we will be able to process the change and issue the new passes for your Spouse or Civil Partner.

Please remember that their passport is their proof of identity for any International travel using the FIP Card or International Coupons. Therefore, the name on these documents must match the name on their passport.

You can change their passes by returning them to us (by "signed for" delivery) with a covering letter enclosing a copy of the deed poll. Please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

You can always email us to inform us of the change and attach a copy of their deed poll to the email. However, before we can issue your Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner with new passes we will need to receive all of their old passes back.

Once we have received all of the required documentation and the old passes back, we will be able to process the change and issue the new passes for your Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner.

Please remember that their passport is their proof of identity for any International travel using the FIP Card or International Coupons. Therefore, the name on these documents must match the name on their passport.

If you are divorced or legally separated from your Spouse or your civil partnership has been dissolved or annulled, then your ex-Spouse or ex-Civil Partner is no longer eligible to receive staff travel facilities through you even if you remain living in the same property.

You will need to return all of their staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery).

If you can’t return these passes, RST will be unable to issue you with any facilities for a future Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner until the latest of these passes has expired. In addition, you will not be able to replace these passes with us (for the current lost passes fee) so that these may be returned. Whilst we appreciate that it may be difficult to obtain these passes in your circumstances, the rules of your entitlement only allow the issue of passes to one Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner at any one time.

If you are no longer living together, then your ex-Partner is no longer eligible to receive staff travel facilities through you.

You will need to return all of their staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery).

If you can’t return these passes, RST will be unable to issue you with any staff travel facilities for a future Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner until the latest of these passes has expired. In addition, you will not be able to replace these passes with us (for the current lost passes fee) so that these may be returned. Whilst we appreciate that it may be difficult to obtain these passes in your circumstances, the rules of your entitlement only allow the issue of passes to one Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner at any one time.

This is entirely up to you. As you are not divorced or legally separated from your Spouse or the civil partnership to your Civil Partner has not been dissolved or annulled, then they are still eligible to receive staff travel facilities through your eligibility at your discretion, even if you are no longer living together. Please remember that you are still responsible for the correct use of staff travel facilities issued through your record.

If you choose for them not to receive passes, then you will need to return all of their staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery).

However, they can continue to receive passes through your entitlement, if this is what you choose, unless you are divorced or legally separated or have the civil partnership dissolved or annulled at which point their eligibility will cease.

In Great Britain, children up to the age of 5 years can travel free of charge on the National Rail network and therefore do not normally require staff travel facilities. If you intend to travel with them on the continent using FIP cards or International Coupons then you will need to apply for them when they are 4 as certain countries begin to charge for children from the age of 4 years.

You can apply for your own children, assuming that they meet all of the eligibility criteria, by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of your child's full birth certificate (the one that shows the parent's names) in JPEG or PDF format.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us a completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

You can apply for your own children, assuming that they meet all of the eligibility criteria, by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of your child's full birth certificate (the one that shows the parent's names) in JPEG or PDF format.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us a completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

In Great Britain, children from the age of 16 years travel as an adult and are subject to the fares and regulations of an adult.

You can apply for your own children, assuming that they meet all of the eligibility criteria, by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of your child's full birth certificate (the one that shows the parent's names) in JPEG or PDF format.

In addition, we will require a Child Declaration form completed by you stating that they are in full time education and where this is. We may require evidence of this and further details. They can only receive staff travel facilities whilst they remain eligible which includes remaining in full time education, therefore, you will need to make a declaration every year to ensure that they continue to be issued with staff travel facilities whilst they remain eligible.

If you cannot complete the forms online, we would prefer if you could email the forms to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the forms online or email, then you can send us the completed forms in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

Please remember that all cardholders aged 16 an over will require to carry a National Rail Photo ID Card at all times whilst using staff travel facilities (unless they are only using a Staff Travel Card issued to a Dependant of a Retired Staff member and the Staff Travel Card is marked a "Dependant of Retired". Photo ID cards are available free of charge at most stations – RST does not issue them.

The eligibility criteria for a child dependant change at the age of 25. To be eligible for staff travel facilities, your child must never have lived away from the family home (except for the purpose of attending education), and have no income whatsoever and have returned to full-time non-remunerative education.

You can apply for your own children, assuming that they meet all of the eligibility criteria, by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of your child's full birth certificate (the one that shows the parent's names) in JPEG or PDF format.

In addition, we will require a Child Declaration form completed by you stating that they are in full time education and where this is. We will require evidence of this, that they have never lived away from the family home and that they have no income from any source (except from the Student Loan Company Ltd or yourself). They can only receive staff travel facilities whilst they remain eligible which includes remaining in full time education and with no income, therefore, you will need to make a declaration every year to ensure that they continue to be issued with staff travel facilities whilst they remain eligible.

If you cannot complete the forms online, we would prefer if you could email the forms to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the forms online or email, then you can send us the completed forms in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

Please remember that all cardholders aged 16 an over will require to carry a National Rail Photo ID Card at all times whilst using staff travel facilities (unless they are only using a Staff Travel Card issued to a Dependant of a Retired Staff member and the Staff Travel Card is marked a "Dependant of Retired". Photo ID cards are available free of charge at most stations – RST does not issue them.

You can apply for the children of your Spouse, Civil Part or Partner, assuming that your Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner already receive staff travel facilities through your record and they meet all of the relevant eligibility criteria for their age, including that they are dependent upon you, live permanently and continuously at your home and any income received including from the other biological or legal parent is less than the weekly income limit.

Apply by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of your child's full birth certificate (the one that shows the parent's names) in JPEG or PDF format. You will need to complete the questions relating to step-children on this form. You may also need to complete a Child Declaration form if they are aged 16 years or above.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us the completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their full birth certificate with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

RST require a copy of the full birth certificate that shows the parent's names so that an eligibility link can be established between yourself and/or your Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner to the child. The short form of birth certificate only states their name and date of birth, but does not include the names of the parents.

If you do not have a copy of the full birth certificate, then this can be obtained from the authority that maintains the registrations of births. In England and Wales this is through the HM Gov website, or in Scotland through the National Records Scotland website. Other countries will have their own processes.

Please send us a copy, not the original, as RST are not liable for the loss of or damage to, or any consequential loss arising from the loss of or damage to, original documents that are sent to us however this may arise.

You can apply for a child that you have adopted as if they were you own biological child, assuming that they meet the eligibility criteria for a child of their age.

Apply by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of your child's full adoption certificate (the one that shows the parent's names and the child's date of birth) in JPEG or PDF format. You may also need to complete a Child Declaration form if they are aged 16 years or above.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their adoption certificate attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us the completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their adoption certificate with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

You can apply for a child that you have fostered but only if they have been continuously fostered by you for at least the last 12 months and contributions from the Local Authority for their upkeep do not exceed the weekly limit. This also assumes that they meet the eligibility criteria for a child of their age.

Apply by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of the legal documentation from the fostering authority that shows the start date of the fostering and the foster carer's names in JPEG or PDF format. You may also need to complete a Child Declaration form if they are aged 16 years or above.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their fostering documentation attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us the completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their fostering documentation with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

You can apply for a child that you have parental responsibility for under a Special Guardianship Order, Residence Order or as a Ward of Court. This also assumes that they meet the eligibility criteria for a child of their age.

Apply by using the Add Child form from our forms page. This form can be completed online and submitted directly to us with a scan or image of the legal documentation from the court relating to the Special Guardianship Order, Residence Order or Ward of Court that shows your names and the child's names (and date of birth) in JPEG or PDF format. You may also need to complete a Child Declaration form if they are aged 16 years or above.

If you cannot complete the form online, we would prefer if you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then complete the document by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add you name to the subject line). We will still require a copy of their documentation attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or email, then you can send us the completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of their documentation with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

You can change their passes by returning them to us (by "signed for" delivery) with a covering letter enclosing a copy of the deed poll. Please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

You can always email us to inform us of the change and attach a copy of their deed poll to the email. However, before we can issue your child with new passes we will need to receive all of their old passes back.

Once we have received all of the required documentation and the old passes back, we will be able to process the change and issue the new passes for your child.

Please remember that their passport is their proof of identity for any International travel using the FIP Card or International Coupons. Therefore, the name on these documents must match the name on their passport.

You can change their passes by returning them to us (by "signed for" delivery) with a covering letter enclosing a copy of the deed poll. Please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed.

You can always email us to inform us of the change and attach a copy of their deed poll to the email. However, before we can issue your child with new passes we will need to receive all of their old passes back.

Once we have received all of the required documentation and the old passes back, we will be able to process the change and issue the new passes for your Spouse/Partner’s child.

Please remember that their passport is their proof of identity for any International travel using the FIP Card or International Coupons. Therefore, the name on these documents must match the name on their passport.

If you are divorced or legally separated from your Spouse or your civil partnership has been dissolved or annulled, then your ex-Spouse’s or ex-Civil Partner’s children are no longer eligible to receive staff travel facilities through you even if you remain living in the same property.

You will need to immediately return all of their staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery).

If you can’t return these passes, RST will be unable to issue you with any facilities for a future Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner, and any of their children, until the latest of these passes has expired. In addition, you will not be able to replace these passes with us (for the current lost passes fee) so that these may be returned. Whilst we appreciate that it may be difficult to obtain these passes in your circumstances, the rules of your eligibility only allow the issue of passes to one Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner (and therefore their children) at any one time.

If you are no longer living together, then your ex-Partner’s children are no longer eligible to receive staff travel facilities through you.

You will need to immediately return all of their staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery).

If you can’t return these passes, RST will be unable to issue you with any staff travel facilities for a future Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner, or any of their children, until the latest of these passes has expired. In addition, you will not be able to replace these passes with us (for the current lost passes fee) so that these may be returned. Whilst we appreciate that it may be difficult to obtain these passes in your circumstances, the rules of your entitlement only allow the issue of passes to one Spouse, Civil Partner or Partner (and therefore their children) at any one time.

At the age of 18, many children leave full-time education to take up paid employment (e.g. an apprenticeship, traineeship or part-time work whilst in part-time education). Therefore, under the rules for children they may no longer be eligible to receive staff travel facilities.

For this reason we require a declaration each year in respect of each child over the age of 18 to ensure their continued eligibility.

The most likely reason for this is that you have not completed a Child Declaration form (from our forms page) for them in the last year.

If they continue to be eligible, for example, they are still in full-time education, then please complete a declaration for them by following the link to the form above.

At the age of 18 and above.

At 18 the child may leave full-time education to take up paid employment (e.g. an apprenticeship, traineeship or part-time work whilst in part-time education). Therefore, under the rules for children they may no longer be eligible to receive staff travel facilities.

Below this age the child will most likely be in full-time education and, therefore, will still be dependent upon their parent(s).

You can make the annual declaration for the child, assuming that they continue to meet all of the eligibility criteria, by using our online form Child Declaration (see forms). This form is submitted directly to us and allows you to attach a scan or image of any evidence that may be required in JPEG or PDF format.

If you cannot complete the form online, which is our preferred method, you could email the form to us. Therefore, select to Print the form on your browser and save it as a PDF. You can then complete the details by editing and saving, or print the document off, complete it manually and then scan the form. You can then send it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (add your name to the subject line). We may require a copy of any evidence attached to the email.

If you cannot complete the form online or send it to us by email, then you can send us a completed form in the post. Therefore, select to Print on your browser and save the form as a PDF. You can then print this document off and complete it manually. We will still require a copy of any evidence with the form (please do not send originals in the post as RST cannot guarantee their safe return and will not be liable if they are lost or destroyed).

Generally, yes. But this depends upon their age and whether they have been in full-time education since leaving school of not.

If your child:

• is between the ages of 16 and 24, and
• has been in full-time education (or advanced education) since leaving school, and
• has continually lived at home (except during term time for the purposes of education), and

then, they will still be eligible to receive staff travel facilities until they leave education and take up employment. They may be able to receive income from wages over the year for part-time or vacation work. Please refer to other FAQs for further details of this.

If, however, there has been a break in education or if they are aged 25 or over, then different rules apply. Please refer to other FAQs for further details in these circumstances.

If your child is working full-time, then they will not be eligible to retain their staff travel facilities.

You will need to immediately return all of their staff travel facilities to RST for cancellation (by "signed for" delivery).

If your child is working part-time, then it will depend upon their weekly income as to whether they will be eligible to retain staff travel facilities.

The key to this is whether they are earning more than the current weekly income limit. The current level is displayed on the Useful Information page.

If you calculate that your child’s weekly income is less than the limit, then please complete a Child Declaration form (see forms). You will need to attach copies of their wage slips for the last 3 months as evidence of their income.

The current weekly earnings limit is displayed on the Useful Information page.

As the amount changes each year it is defined in a single location on our site to avoid any confusion when the amount changes.

Assuming that your child is under 25 years of age, currently receives staff travel facilities, has continuously lived at home (except when they were studying) and they currently have no income (or an income below the weekly income limit), then we would expect that they would retain their eligibility for staff travel facilities until they start employment. But this is subject to the individual circumstances.

If your child is over 25 years of age, then whilst the same criteria apply, the income limit does not apply as they only retain eligibility if they have no income whatsoever from any source, except yourself as parents. Once they have any income at all then eligibility is lost and the staff travel facilities must be returned to RST.

As your child has previously moved out and therefore has not lived continuously and permanently with you (except when they are studying), then they will not be eligible for staff travel facilities even if they are returning to full-time education.

As your child does not currently have staff travel facilities then the fact that they are now unemployed does not regain eligibility to these.

If your child is under 25 years of age, then it depends upon how much they earn.

If their income is less than the weekly income limit (see Useful Information, then they are likely to be eligible to retain their staff travel facilities.

If, however, their income is more than the weekly income limit, then they will have lost their eligibility and you will need to return their facilities to us.

If your child is aged 25 years or over, then they will have lost their eligibility as they are not allowed to have any income and you will need to return their facilities to us.

If your child is under 25 years of age, then it depends upon how long they are working during the vacation.

They are able to work during the vacation periods whilst in education, without limit on the amount assuming that the period of work does not exceed 3 months. The vacation periods do not extend beyond the end of the course, unless the child is continuing education on a further new course which can be evidenced to RST.

If your child is aged 25 years or over, then they will have lost their eligibility as they are not allowed to have any income and you will need to return their facilities to us.

If your child is under 25 years of age, then it depends upon how much they earn.

If their income is less than the weekly income limit (see Useful Information, then they are likely to be eligible to retain their staff travel facilities.

If, however, their income is more than the weekly income limit, even if this is just for a single week, then they will have lost their eligibility and you will need to return their facilities to us (by "signed for" delivery).

If your child is aged 25 years or over, then they will have lost their eligibility as they are not allowed to have any income and you will need to return their facilities to us (by "signed for" delivery).

You (and eligible family members that are also holders of the Staff Travel Card) can use your card for free and discounted leisure travel.

If you have available boxes on your Staff Travel Card, then you can use these for free leisure travel.

If you do not have available boxes (or are not eligible for boxes), then you can still use the Staff Travel Card for discounted leisure travel. The Privilege discount available is 75% of the walk-up fare, i.e. you pay 1/4 rate.

Use of the Staff Travel Card is subject to the Endorsement(s) that are specified on the card and the separately published travel restrictions.

On the front of the Staff Travel Card there is a line that specifies the Endorsement(s) that the holder is subject to when using their card.

The numbered Endorsement(s) on the front of the Staff Travel Card correspond to a key of Endorsements that are listed on the rear of the card. Only the Endorsement(s) listed on the front of the Staff Travel Card affect the travel of the holder. Where the Endorsement line is specified as "NIL", then travel under the facility is not subject to any of the Endorsements.

Most of the Endorsements restrict the extent of travel provided whilst others may extend it. Each is self-explanatory.

Before commencing a free journey, you must enter the day and month of the journey in ink in the first (or next available) box. Each box is divided into two sections on the card marked as “DAY” and “MTH”. Boxes must be completed using Arabic numerals, with zero in front of single digits i.e. 7 August should be written in as "07" in the DAY box and "08" in the MTH box immediately beneath it.

Each dated box allows the holder free travel on that day, and up to midnight on the following day. Travel is also permitted on overnight journeys that start between 22.00 and 24.00 on the previous day to that entered on the card. Note that an overnight journey is a continuous journey that is not scheduled to end until at least 04.30. In other words, a card dated 7 August allows journeys from 22h00 on 6 August up to 24h00 on 8 August. During this period, travel does not have to be continuous: any number of breaks of journey may be taken.

If you attempt to travel without dating a box, the ticket examiner/inspector will cross out the next available box as a penalty and will instruct you to complete the next box following. If the card is wrongly dated the same procedure will be followed. Alteration or overwriting of dates already inserted is not permitted – this includes writing a date in pencil then going over it with pen, or erasing it and then re-entering it. This information is clearly printed on the card.

Staff Travel Cards are valid from 1 April of one year until 30 June of the next year. New cards will be sent out to via employers or directly to home addresses towards the end of March each year. If you wish to use occasions of free travel between 1 April and 30 June, either the old or the new card can be used (assuming there are unused boxes on the old card). Only the new card can be used after 30 June.

However, once the allocation of free journeys has been used up, the holder can continue to purchase unlimited Privilege discount tickets until the card expires. These must be backed up by the Staff Travel Card (which must be carried at all times as evidence of your eligibility.

You can date a box on the 30th June where the Staff Travel Card expires that day. However, you will not be able to use this card to benefit from free travel on 1st July, or use the card to support Privilege Rate tickets purchased as it has expired.

If you have a "new" Staff Travel Card, then you could use this instead.

If your Staff Travel Card is dated to expire on a date other than the 30th June (for whatever reason), then the above comments apply to any box used on the date of expiry (or any Privilege Rate tickets purchased).

You can use your Staff Travel Card to purchase unlimited Privilege Rate (1/4 rate or 75% discount) national rail tickets. The 75% reduction can be applied to day and period walk-up Anytime, off-peak and super off-peak fares. Time restrictions may apply.

You cannot get Privilege discount on Advance Purchase tickets, as these are already heavily discounted.

You may also purchase privilege rate tickets which include travel on London Underground.

Just as for the general public, you must have a valid ticket before you start a journey.

If you wish to travel using a Privilege Rate ticket, you must buy that ticket from a ticket office before you travel. At present it is not possible to buy them online, by phone, or from ticket machines.

If the ticket office is closed and it is therefore not possible to purchase the Privilege Rate ticket before you travel, then you must have your fare ready and offer to pay it at the first available opportunity. This could be on entry to the platform, on the train, or when exiting at your destination. By doing so, i.e. offering to pay, there can be no question that you are trying to travel without paying. If you don’t offer to pay, then you could be accused of fare avoidance.

You can use your Staff Travel Card for travel on LUL/DLR services as below:

• Limited free leisure travel on Inter available routes only by dating a box
• Unlimited Privilege Rate leisure travel on all LUL/DLR services by using a Pay As You Go (PAYG) Privilege Oyster card (or single / return Privilege Rate tickets purchased at NR stations using the Staff Travel Card)

Note that Staff Travel Card holders that have Endorsement 9, 10 or 11 on the front of the card are not eligible for Privilege Rate travel on TfL services.

To get the privilege rate discount set on an Oyster card, complete a TfL Privilege Oyster Application and email it to RST.

Once completed and authorised by RST, take the form together with your Staff Travel Card and Oyster card to a TfL (LUL) station, where a member of staff in the booking hall will set the privilege rate discount on your Oyster card. If you do not already hold an Oyster card you will be required to pay a refundable deposit (currently £5) for one to be issued and add a minimum PAYG credit (also currently £5).

To continue to receive the benefit of the privilege rate Oyster fare you will need to update your Oyster card with your new Staff Travel Card details each year by 30th June. Just take your new Staff Travel Card to a TfL (LUL) station, where the booking hall staff will update your Oyster card for you.

If you do not update your Oyster card by 30th June you will find that any use of the card from 1st July will result in the full Pay As You Go Oyster fare being deducted instead of the privilege rate Oyster fare. You can still buy single Privilege Rate cash fares for travel on LUL services at National Rail stations , although these fares are more expensive than Oyster Pay As You Go fares.

To use your Oyster Card you touch it on the yellow card reader located on the ticket barrier at the start and end of your journey, and the applicable Privilege Rate Oyster fare will be taken from the amount of credit you have on the Oyster card. Please note that if you do not touch in and out at either end of your journey then the maximum Oyster fare will be taken and you may be liable for a penalty fare or prosecution.

Your PAYG Privilege Rate Oyster Card may also be used to travel on TfL bus services. However, this will be at the full public Pay As You Go Oyster fare.

Reduced Rate tickets for leisure use only are available as follows:

Special rate tickets are available on Eurostar. Tickets and reservations are obtainable by using a Staff Travel Card (that does not restrict to National Rail only or similar). The Staff Travel Card must be carried with you on the journey.

However, as the Staff Travel Card may not be recognised in France / Belgium, then it would be sensible to use your International Reduced Rate Card (FIP Card).

Although Eurostar tickets can be purchased at London St Pancras on the day of travel, availability cannot be guaranteed and therefore it is advisable to obtain tickets in advance, either in person from Eurostar at St Pancras or call International Rail Ltd on 0333 003 0423.

The charges for these tickets cover the Eurotunnel Toll, the reservation administration fee and (in the case of first class travel) the cost of 'at seat' refreshments.

Reservations on Eurostar services are compulsory. Reservations can be made in Standard Premier (1st class) by holders of 1st Class Staff Travel Cards only and Standard Class by all Staff Travel Card holders.

This is a definite NO.

Any attempt to purchase tickets for any person other than the holder is a travel irregularity and may result in the permanent withdrawal of all travel facilities (including for all family members) and possible, disciplinary and / or legal action (including prosecution).

No. The number of boxes that you receive does not increase with additional service.

The main factor affecting the number of boxes is the grade that your employer has advised that you are (or were at retirement).

No. The class of travel that you receive does not change with additional service.

The main factor affecting the class of travel is the grade that your employer has advised that you are (or were at retirement).

No. The endorsements are based upon the date that you started in the rail industry and who you work for (worked for).

This will have been set at the time that you joined the industry and cannot be changed.

No. You can't "cash in" your eligibility.

From time to time we are asked about this and we are unsure how these rumours arise. However, it is totally false. If you are advised that this can be done or are offered a deal, then RST would appreciate it if you could inform us immediately and provide any relevant documents you may have.

You (and eligible family members that are also holders of the Rail Staff Leisure Card) can use your card for discounted leisure travel.

The Privilege discount available is 75% of the walk-up fare, i.e. you pay 1/4 rate. This discount applies to Anytime, off-peak and super off-peak fares. Time restrictions may apply. You cannot get a 75% discount on Advance Purchase tickets, as these are already heavily discounted.

The agreement underwriting this non-contractual arrangement is reviewed annually by TOCs and may be withdrawn at any time.

You can use your Rail Staff Leisure Card to purchase unlimited Privilege Rate (1/4 rate or 75% discount) national rail tickets. The 75% reduction can be applied to day and period walk-up Anytime, off-peak and super off-peak fares. Time restrictions may apply.

You cannot get Privilege discount on Advance Purchase tickets, as these are already heavily discounted.

Just as for the general public, you must have a valid ticket before you start a journey.

If you wish to travel using a Privilege Rate ticket, you must buy that ticket from a ticket office before you travel. At present it is not possible to buy them online, by phone, or from ticket machines.

When you intend to purchase a Priv discounted ticket and start your journey from a station within a Penalty Fare area, a permit to travel must be obtained before boarding the train.

If the ticket office is closed , and you are not in a Penalty Fare area so you cannot purchase the Privilege Rate ticket before you travel, then you must have your fare ready and offer to pay it at the first available opportunity. This could be on entry to the platform, on the train, or when exiting at your destination. By doing so, i.e. offering to pay, there can be no question that you are trying to travel without paying. If you don’t offer to pay, then you could be accused of fare avoidance.

The Rail Staff Leisure Card is not valid on London Underground or Dockland Light Railway services, except to cross London where this is indicated on the ticket (+).

The Rail Staff Leisure Card does not provide any eligibility for travel on Eurostar services.

However, Employees, and their eligible family members, may be able to receive an International Reduced Rate Card (FIP Card) that will provide discounted travel on Eurostar. This can be applied for separately.

This is a definite NO.

Any attempt to purchase tickets for any person other than the holder is a travel irregularity and may result in the permanent withdrawal of all travel facilities (including for all family members) and possible, disciplinary and / or legal action (including prosecution).

As an Active member of staff that holds a Status Pass, you can use your pass for residential and leisure travel.

Gold and Silver Status Pass holders are able to use the pass:

• between all stations of the National Rail Network, and
• inter-available London Underground/Docklands Light Railway services, and
• additional services, but only those that are specified on the pass

Blue (Regional) Status Pass holders can only use their passes within the geographical limits that have been chosen and are specified.

As a Spouse or Partner that holds a Status Pass, they can use their pass for leisure travel only.

For the avoidance of doubt, they cannot use the pass for residential travel (i.e. to and from work).

As a Dependant Child that holds a Status Pass, they can use their pass for leisure travel and for educational purposes (i.e. to and from a place of education).

For the avoidance of doubt, they cannot use the pass for residential travel (i.e. to and from work).

Both the Gold and Silver Status Passes have been issued as SmartCards that are expected to operate the gates at Smart-enabled stations.

To operate the gates at a Smart-enabled station, touch the Status Pass to the card reader and the gates will open.

If the gates do not operate (probably because the station has not been Smart-enabled), remember that you can still use your Status Pass as a "Show and Go" Pass at all valid locations.

As the roll-out of Smart-enabled gates across the national network continues, but specifically in the London and South East area, additional stations will be enabled that will allow holders to operate the gates using their Status Pass. The current situation is that the majority of London in-boundary TOC stations should be Smart-enabled allowing the Status Passes to operate. In addition, gates at London outboundary stations on Greater Anglia and c2c will operate with further TOCs being enabled over the next few months. There is no need to inform RST whether you can or cannot operate gates when using your Status Pass as we do not control the gate operation at any station.

The photo on your Status Pass should be updated every 5 years for adults and every 3 years for under 16 year olds.

A discounted season ticket is available to:

• Active Employees for residential purposes,
• Dependants of Active Employees for educational purposes,
• Retired Employees for educational purposes,
• Dependant of Retired Employees for educational purposes.

A discounted season ticket can be used by:

• Active Employees for residential purposes,
• Dependants of Active Employees for educational purposes,
• Retired Employees for educational purposes,
• Dependant of Retired Employees for educational purposes.

The discounted season ticket may also be used for leisure purposes on the route purchased.

The simple answer to this is no. The home station is the one that is nearest to your permanent place of residence.

However, in circumstances where there are no services from your nearest station when you start or end a shift, but there are from a station that is still reasonably near to your home, then this can be considered by RST as an option. In these circumstances, full details must be provided. These are all subject to the published mileage limits.

The simple answer to this is no. Only a single work location, your main base, can be specified and the destination station must be the nearest to this location.

However, in circumstances where there are no services to the nearest station to your work location when you start or end a shift, but there are from a station that is still reasonably near to your work location, then this can be considered by RST as an option. In these circumstances, full details must be provided. These are all subject to the published mileage limits.

If you are an Active or Retired Safeguarded Employee, then you (and any eligible Dependant) can get a discounted season ticket for use on National Rail and TfL (rail) services.

If you are an Active Non-Safeguarded Employee, then you (and any eligible Dependant) can get a discounted season ticket for use on National Rail services only.

The minimum period that a discounted season ticket can be issued for is 1 month.

The maximum period that a discounted season ticket can be issued for is 1 year.

Your application will be processed and sent back to you by email (or post) approximately 7 days before the date that the season ticket is due. This is because the ticket office will not be able to process the approved application too far in advance.

The Residential Pass is only available to Active Safeguarded Employees that are eligible and meet the criteria.

The Residential Pass is not available to Non-Safeguarded Employees, Retired Safeguarded Employees and family members.

You can only get a Residential Pass if the distance between the station nearest to your permanent home address and the station nearest to your permanent work location is less than the mileage allowance. The mileage allowances are:

• If your work location is within the London and South East allowance area, the mileage allowance is 40 miles,
• If your work location is outside of the London and South East allowance area, the mileage allowance is 8 miles,

Use the Residential Travel forms (see forms) for applications.

If your residential journey exceeds these limits, you may apply for and purchase instead a Privilege Season Ticket at one quarter of the standard rate, less a further financial allowance for the relevant free travel element that can be found on Useful Information.

Note that you do not need a Residential Pass if you work for a TOC and you have a Card or Pass issued by that TOC that includes the entire route of your journey.

The primary use of the Residential Pass is for commuting to work between the stations printed on the front of the pass.

You can also use the Residential Pass for leisure travel on the route specified.

The simple answer to this is no. The home station is the one that is nearest to your permanent place of residence.

However, in circumstances where there are no services from your nearest station when you start or end a shift, but there are from a station that is still reasonably near to your home, then this can be considered by RST as an option. In these circumstances, full details must be provided. These are all subject to the published mileage limits.

The simple answer to this is no. Only a single work location, your main base, can be specified and the destination station must be the nearest to this location.

However, in circumstances where there are no services to the nearest station to your work location when you start or end a shift, but there are from a station that is still reasonably near to your work location, then this can be considered by RST as an option. In these circumstances, full details must be provided. These are all subject to the published mileage limits.

An International Reduced Rate Card (FIP Card) is a product that allows discounted travel on FIP members' rail services in Europe.

The FIP Card provides a discount (50 or 75%) against the usual fares.

There are two types of FIP Cards, one for Active Staff (and their eligible dependants) and one for Retired Safeguarded Staff (and their eligible dependants.)

The FIP Card for Active Staff is available to eligible Active Staff (and their eligible dependants) after a minimum of 1 year of continuous service.

The FIP Card for Retired Safeguarded Staff is available to eligible Retired Staff (and their eligible dependants) after a minimum of 11 years of continuous service at the date of retirement. In the event of retirement due to an accident at work the minimum criteria is reduced.

The FIP Card is now issued as a renewable product on a rolling 2 year cycle.

Unless the FIP Card contains a printed "Valid Until" date on the face of the card, then it is valid throughout the calendar years that are printed on the card. In addition, it is valid throughout December of the year that immediately precedes those printed on the card and also for the January of the year that immediately follows those printed on the card.

Therefore, a card printed with the years "2017/2018" displayed on the face of the card is actually valid from 1st December 2016 through to 31st January 2019, i.e. a 1 month overlap at each end of the period.

If you are eligible to retain your national staff travel facilities, i.e. your Staff Travel Card, in retirement, then you are able to retain the FIP Card for Active Staff to use for a maximum period of 6 months after your date of retirement. At this point the FIP Card for Active Staff will need to be replaced by the one for retired Staff (assuming that you are eligible).

The FIP Card is valid throughout the calendar years printed on the card. In addition, it is valid throughout December of the year that immediately precedes those printed on the card and also for the January of the year that immediately follows those printed on the card.

Therefore, a card printed with the years "2019/2020" displayed on the face of the card is actually valid from 1 December 2018 through to 31 January 2021, i.e. a 1 month overlap at each end of the period.

The FIP Card is renewed automatically. It is sent out in early December before it expires.

No, it is renewed and issued automatically as it falls due (assuming that you remain eligible).

Both types of FIP Card give 50% discount across the FIP members. For Active Staff on this is increased to 75% for the following FIP Members:

• CIE - Ireland
• NIR - Northern Ireland
• SNCB - Belgium
• SNCF - France

The FIP Card for Retired Staff, however, does not give the additional discount on SNCB and SNCF services.

An International Reduced Rate Card (FIP Card) issued to a child will gives them a discount on the adult fare. It does not give them a discount on the public child fare.

The ages at which the public child fare is available, and the discount given to children, vary from country to country.

The benefit to a child holding an International Reduced Rate Card will be where they are older than the ages at which a public child fare is available, or where the discount given to FIP cardholders on the adult fare results in a cheaper fare than the public child fare.

An International Coupon is an international product that provides a quota controlled set number of days of free travel on FIP members' rail services.

Once issued, the International Coupon can be used for up to 4 instances of travel that last from the date of signing until 24.00 hrs the following day.

There are two main qualifying periods for International Coupons, one for Active Staff (and their eligible dependants) and one for Retired Safeguarded Staff (and their eligible dependants.)

International Coupons for Active Staff are available to eligible Active Staff (and their eligible dependants) after a minimum of 1 year of continuous service.

International Coupons for Retired Safeguarded Staff are available to eligible Retired Staff (and their eligible dependants) after a minimum of 11 years of continuous service at the date of retirement. In the event of retirement due to an accident at work the minimum criteria is reduced.

Each International Coupon is issued for no longer than 3 months.

However, if the International Coupon start date is any date in December then it will expire on the 31st March the following year.

Each FIP member agrees a different level of travel for each other's members.

These have generally been in place for a number of years and are subject to regular ratification, so the amount of travel may vary in the future. Some FIP Members allow travel for Active and Retired Staff and their eligible Dependants, whilst others allow travel for Active Staff only, and many variants in between.

Each FIP member agrees a different level of travel for each other's members.

These have generally been in place for a number of years and are subject to regular ratification, so the amount of travel may vary in the future. Some FIP Members allow travel for Active and Retired Staff and their eligible Dependants, whilst others allow travel for Active Staff only, and many variants in between.

There are a number of FIP Members that do not provide any travel by International Coupons for Dependants.

Where your family can get Coupons, then eligible children are only able to receive them up to the age of 25. Over the age of 25 there is not eligibility for Coupons unless your child is permanently disabled.

The quotas for International Travel are complex and vary in amounts depending upon your employment status. For example, Retired Staff and their dependants is different from that of an Active Employee and their dependants. Please check in the Where can I go document for further information on International Quotas.

If a family member (including yourself) is issued with an International Coupon to travel without other eligible family members then this counts against the employee's quota, i.e. the quota is applied against the individual and as a family quota for the Employee's family of eligible Dependants.

All of the International Coupons are issued in accordance with the regulations agreed by all of the FIP Members. These regulations specify the 4 languages that they are issued in.

Unfortunately, there is not enough room on the Coupon to include the native language of every area that they are issued for. All FIP Members issue instructions to their staff about Coupons so they should be accepted and they should be operated correctly.

Each date written into a box on the International Coupon will permit free travel on that day, together with free travel up to midnight on the following day.

The date in each box must be entered as DD/MM/YY with leading zeros for single digit dates e.g. 7 August 2017 is entered as 07/08/17.

If you are eligible to receive International Travel in retirement, i.e. you have completed at least 11 years of service and were eligible for International Travel as an Active Staff member, then you will be able to retain International Travel (Coupons and FIP cards) in retirement.

The quota for Retired Staff and their dependants is different from that of an Active Employee and their dependants. Please check in the Where can I go document for further information on International Quotas.

On the date of retirement you will also be eligible to receive a special 9 and 45 month allocation of coupons. These provide an element of your Active quota over the first 9 and 45 months of your retirement in addition to your Retired allocation(subject to certain rules - please check in the Where can I go document for further information).

In short, during the first 9 months after your retirement date you may apply for any coupon not already issued from your Active allocation in the period from the 1st January in the year of your retirement until your retirement date, e.g. if you have used a DBAG coupon in March and retire in July, then your 9 month allocation will not include DBAG as you have already used it earlier in the calendar year.

Your 45 month allocation is in addition to your 9 month allocation, and allows the issue of a single coupon for each FIP carrier that would provide an Active Coupon for you. I.e. where an Active allocation allows 2 Coupons, then the 45 month allocation will only provide 1 Coupon.

The same principles apply to your dependants although their allocation is restricted to those carriers who grant free coupons to Spouse/Partners and dependent children.

When your 9-month allocation is provided after your retirement (assuming that you are Safeguarded, eligible to retain your travel facilities in retirement and are eligible for retired International Travel) it is calculated as the full annual Active allocation less any Coupons that have already been used from your annual quota in the year of your retirement.

This was the subject of a lot of calculation before it was implemented in our system as it is impacted by the quotas themselves, the date of retirement (within a calendar year), a date of travel and where you are going.

To provide the best options for you, the retired allocation is used first followed by any available 9 month allocation and then any available 45 month allocation. This was to preserve any 9 and 45 month allocation for you for as long as possible.

It also means that if you have returned to the industry and retain your Safeguarded status, and you have not used any of your 9 and 45 month allocation, then we can freeze your 9 and 45 month allocation until you retire at a later date and restart the 9 and 45 months from that date (you use your Active allocation whilst you are an Active Staff member).

If you are eligible for an FIP Card (check the FAQ section above for this), then you can apply for an FIP card using one of our online forms.

The correct form is the FIP Card Request (see forms).

If you already hold an FIP Card, then you do not need to complete a form for it to be renewed.

If you are eligible for International Coupons (check the FAQ section above for this), then you can apply for them using one of our online forms. There are 2 separate forms that you can use for Coupons

As an Employee, if you are travelling on your own, then you will need to complete the International Coupons Application - Employee only form (See forms).

If you have eligible family members, then you should complete the International Coupons Application - Employee and Family members form (see forms).

When you request an International Coupon we will automatically issue you (and any eligible family members) with an FIP Card if you don't already hold one.

We are unable to accept applications for International Coupons with less than 14 days notice for online applications and with less than 21 days notice for email or postal applications. This period is to allow us to check eligibility, record and print the Coupons and despatch them to you in good time for your indicated travel date.

To ensure that the Coupons are issued as accurately as possible, i.e. to take account of your current eligibility and details, they are issued nearer to the travel date but in good time for you to receive them before you travel.

One of the main reasons for this is that under the FIP Regulations we are unable to replace Coupons that are lost, stolen or damaged. Therefore, this reduces the time period that any one of these unfortunate incidents could occur.

Yes, you can, but the eligibility criteria for Non-FIP travel is quite restricted so you may not be eligible for it.

The Where can I go page gives more information (in the Where can I go document). Only Safeguarded Staff and their eligible Dependants are eligible and in many instances this is restricted to Active Staff only, i.e. neither Retired Safeguarded Staff nor any Dependants are eligible.

Applications for travel can be made on the Non-FIP Travel Request form.

Only Active Safeguarded members of staff and their eligible Dependants are eligible for 1/2 rate travel on Amtrak.

Please apply on the Non-FIP Travel Request form (See forms) giving at least 42 days notice before your travel date (to avoid disappointment, please give as much notice as the documents are sent from the USA).

You will need to provide us with at least 42 days notice before your travel date as the Amtrak documents are sent from the USA (to avoid disappointment, please give as much notice as possible).

Yes, you can, providing that you are hold an FIP Card. Whilst you can use a Staff Travel Card for travel on Eurostar it is preferable to hold an FIP Card as this is internationally recognised.

Please also note that Eurostar FIP fares are only applicable when purchased from a Eurostar station. Prices will vary when making a booking through an agent, as they do not have direct access to the Eurostar reservations system and are therefore obliged to issue tickets via a third-party system.

Eurostar FIP fares are only applicable when purchased from a Eurostar station. Prices may vary when making a booking through an agent, as they may not have direct access to the Eurostar reservations system and are therefore obliged to issue tickets via a third-party system.

No.

Eurotunnel are a different company from Eurostar and there are no arrangements with Eurotunnel for an exchange of staff travel.

Please call our booking agents International Rail Ltd on 0333 003 0423, email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the website www.bookmyrst.co.uk

International Rail can make your reservations and handle any general enquiries you might have for a wide range of international travel options across the market.

RST contribute towards your booking fee at International Rail. The current booking fee is detailed on our Useful Information page.

The normal service includes secure mailing of your tickets by Special Delivery. If can also choose a cheaper normal post option but if tickets get lost in the normal post, they cannot be replaced.

Special instructions for booking SNCF TGV and Intercités services within France and some international TGV services operated solely by SNCF.

FIP ticket sales and reservations for all SNCF TGV and Intercités services within France and some international TGV services operated solely by SNCF are not longer available to travel agents. 

SNCF offer FIP fares and reservations from:

• SNCF ticket office counters in France
• the SNCF contact centre which is open 7 days a week from 7am to 10pm (French local time). 

The telephone number for the SNCF contact centre is 00 33 1 84 94 3635 (international call rates apply). The SNCF website shows the typical busy times when call wait times are extended www.sncf.com/en/service-client/nous-contacter/telephone

The contact centre phone introduction is in French and lists various options. If you remain silent, at the end of the introduction it will say “For this service in English press #85”. Entering #85 on your phone will connect you to an English-speaking operator.

To save a lengthy and expensive phone call, please check the latest version of our Travel Tips for Europe guide before you call them. It is best to know the specific train services you want to book before you call.

Remember that FIP facilities are not available on Ouigo or Intercités 100% Eco services. These low cost operators sell tickets through their own website only, and fares may be cheaper than the FIP discounted fares on equivalent SNCF services. The SNCF contact centre is unable to quote or sell you fares on Ouigo or Intercités 100% Eco services.

To make a booking, you will need to quote the FIP International Reduced Rate Card numbers for every person in your group to the SNCF agent. 

Please allow at least three weeks before your proposed travel date.

International Rail Limited have advised that from 1 April 2018, as a result of continued reductions in commissions from the European rail companies, they will need to charge a modest booking fee to Rail Staff Travel customers. The current booking fee that you will pay per booking is detailed on our Useful Information page.

You are of course always free to use whichever agency best suits your travel needs and preferences.

International Rail continues to offer the widest range of international travel options across the market.

FIP travel is non-contractual and is based on a reciprocal exchange between European rail carriers. RST is not obliged to provide a booking service, nor to pay on behalf of staff any fees associated with this service.

Some Travel Agents in Britain are able to retail FIP products. These are:

• Ffestiniog Travel - 01766 515630
• Trainseurope - 0871 700 7722 (not Eurostar)

Booking FIP products in Travel Agents' international retailing systems is much more complex than booking public rate tickets. European railways have different booking thresholds and quotas for FIP products and can change these thresholds and quotas without prior notice to Travel Agents. Booking itineraries to cover more than one railway company is difficult.

Travel Agents will do their best to accommodate your booking enquiry, but they reserve the right to refuse to deal with rude and abusive employees, and those making speculative enquiries.

Where incidents of employee rudeness or abusive behaviour to Travel Agents are reported to Rail Staff Travel, it will be referred to the employer to consider disciplinary action.

Other carriers which are able to book FIP fares on their own service are listed here.

Eurostar bookings

• In addition to the Travel Agents listed above, Eurostar FIP bookings may be made in person at the Eurostar ticket offices at London St Pancras, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International. You will need to present FIP cards for all family members you wish to book for.

SNCF bookings

• SNCF bookings can only be made through the SNCF contact centre in Paris. The SNCF contact centre phone number is 00 33 1 84 94 3635 (international call rates apply). The contact centre phone introduction is in French and lists various options. If you remain silent, at the end of the introduction it will say “For this service in English press #85”. Entering #85 on your phone will connect you to an English-speaking operator.
• The SNCF website shows the typical busy times when call wait times are extended www.sncf.com/en/service-client/nous-contacter/telephone

Irish Ferries bookings

• Telephone: 08717 300 400

P&O Ferries bookings

• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Web: www.poferries.com/en/atocaccess (when prompted for your ATOC Membership Number, enter the number of your current Rail Staff Leisure Card or Staff Travel Card)
• Tel: 01304 448 888. Hours of operation daily 07.30 until 21.00 (22.00 from Easter to September). Telephone bookings attract an additional charge of approximately £5, unless paying Port Tax tickets only, in which case the £5 will not be applied.

Stena Line Irish Ferries bookings

• Telephone: 08448 471 471 for port tax payments and vehicle discounted fares

Eurostar FIP fares are only applicable when purchased from a Eurostar station.

Prices will vary when making a booking through an agent, as they do not have direct access to the Eurostar reservations system and are therefore obliged to issue tickets via a third-party system.

The following holders of staff travel facilities are required to carry a valid Photo ID Card at all times when travelling:

• a current member of staff, or
• the Spouse or Partner of a current member of staff, or
• a Dependant child aged 16 years or over of a current member of staff

The following holders of staff travel facilities are not required to carry a valid Photo ID Card when travelling (except when specified below):

• a retired member of staff, or
• the Spouse or Partner of a retired member of staff, or
• a Dependant child of a retired member of staff

A retired member of staff and their dependants will be required to carry a valid Photo ID Card when travelling using:

• a Privilege or Reduced Rate Season Ticket, or
• a Residential Pass, or
• a TOC Specific Pass of any type

i.e. you / they are undertaking residential travel (even if for education purposes), or have re-joined the industry and are using TOC Specific facilities issued to Active Staff.

A Photo ID Card can be obtained free of charge at any manned National Rail station ticket office in England, Scotland or Wales.

You will need to take along a passport-office approved photo and ask for a public Photo ID Card.

Employees of Chiltern and Abellio ScotRail should obtain a Photo ID Card from your own HR department.

You can get a Photo ID Card replaced, free of charge, at any station ticket office.

You will need to take along a passport-office approved photo and ask for a public Photo ID Card.

Employees of Chiltern and Abellio ScotRail should obtain a Photo ID Card from your own HR department.

As a retired holder of staff travel facilities you are not required to carry a valid Photo ID Card when undertaking leisure travel. This also applies to your Spouse / Partner and all Child Dependants (irrespective of age).

However, you and your dependants will be required to carry a valid Photo ID Card when travelling using:

• a Privilege or Reduced Rate Season Ticket, or
• a Residential Pass, or
• a TOC Specific Pass of any type

i.e. you / they are undertaking residential travel (even if for education purposes), or have re-joined the industry and are using TOC Specific facilities issued to Active Staff.

Unfortunately, you may come across instances where a current rail employee does not fully appreciate the rules governing who is required to carry Photo ID Cards and under what circumstances. In these instances, we would suggest that you refer them to the staff travel section of Knowledgebase, the online guide for revenue protection and retail staff that they should all have access to. Alternately, you could suggest that they contact RST for confirmation.

RST recommend that your Photo ID (that supports your staff travel facilities) should be updated every 5 years. For under 16s this should be every 3 years.

Just click on the link to get to the Forms page.

We are currently working to provide more of our forms to work as online web-forms. This will make it easier for you as they can be submitted online and go directly to our work queue.

However, some of the forms cannot be converted very easily without making major changes to our systems. We are working towards converting as many forms as quickly as possible though but taking account of the complexity of the forms and the range of alternatives that they cover.

The online web-forms are encoded to validate the data that you are entering before you send it to us to reduce the queries that arise when forms are submitted to us. This validation is done online, on the form, before it is sent to us.

The instructions on how to submit the forms online (and common problems) are on our How To - Submit Online page.

The instructions on how to submit the forms online (and common problems) are on our How To - Submit Online page.

All of the online forms should work on any device that has a browser and is online at the time the form is being completed and submitted.

Some of the common problems when completing on a mobile phone are on our How To - Submit Online page.

The key to sending is to ensure that you are online and that the form is in a browser (i.e. it hasn't been downloaded and then opened in a different app due to the settings on your phone).

All of the online forms should work on any device that has a browser and is online at the time the form is being completed and submitted.

Some of the common problems when completing on a tablet or iPad are on our How To - Submit Online page.

The key to sending is to ensure that you are online and that the form is in a browser (i.e. it hasn't been downloaded and then opened in a different app due to the settings on your tablet/iPad).

All of the online forms should work on any device that has a browser and is online at the time the form is being completed and submitted. You may not have noticed that you are no longer online or that the form is not open in a browser.

Some of the common problems when completing an online web-form are on our How To - Submit Online page.

The key to sending is to ensure that you are online and that the form is in a browser (i.e. it hasn't been downloaded and then opened in a different app due to the settings on your device).

Our preferred method for receiving the online forms is online as this will reduce your time and any errors that may occur in us copy typing from your application to our system.

If you can't do this, then our How To - Send by Email page may help you.

If this is not possible, then you can print the form and post it to us when complete.

If your online web-form application has been sent to us correctly, then you should have a screen displayed with a green banner stating that the form has been received.

If the form has not been received for whatever reason, then you will not get a screen with a green banner, but either a screen with a red banner advising that there was a problem or just a blank screen. In these circumstances you may need to try again.

The RST forms that are not marked as "Online" can be completed and then attached to an email to send to us.

We would suggest that you use the appropriate link on the How To - Send by Email page to format the email that is sent to us.

If this is not possible, then you can print the form and post it to us when complete.

You will need to complete a Replacement Form (see forms) to advise of the circumstances, who the card is for and what cards have been lost. This should then be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (or posted if not possible to email).

If you wish to pay by credit/debit card, please phone RST during office hours. We will not keep your card details. There is no supplementary charge payable for using this service.

As the cards have been lost a replacement fee is due. The latest replacement fees are listed on the Useful Information page.

You will need to complete a Replacement Form (see forms) to advise of the circumstances, who the card is for and what cards have been stolen.

As the cards have been stolen, then you will need to supply evidence of the theft to RST. This will need to be a scan or copy of a letter from the Police that you reported the theft to that shows the crime reference number and confirmation that a theft has taken place.

The form and the additional evidence should then be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (or posted if not possible to email).

If the documentation supplied is acceptable then the replacement cards and passes will be reissued free of charge.

You will need to complete a Replacement Form (see forms) to advise of the circumstances, who the card is for and what cards have been lost. This should then be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (or posted if not possible to email).

A damaged or defaced card is chargeable as a replacement, therefore, if you wish to pay by credit/debit card, please phone RST during office hours. We will not keep your card details. There is no supplementary charge payable for using this service.

As the cards have been damaged or defaced then a replacement fee is due. The latest replacement fees are listed on the Useful Information page.

Firstly, you will need to check with the station barrier staff that the pass is actually faulty (i.e. it could be the gates that are faulty instead). If they agree that it is the card/pass that is faulty, then:

If the holder of the card/pass is an eligible family member, or if the holder is an employee and the card is not used for residential or duty travel, then you will need to complete a Replacement Form (see forms) to advise of the circumstances, who the card is for and what cards are not working. This should then be posted to RST with the defective card so that it can be reissued.

If the holder of the card/pass is an employee and the card is used for residential or duty travel, then you will need to complete a Replacement Form to advise of the circumstances, who the card is for and what cards are not working. You should also scan or copy the defective card and attach the image of this to your email or form. All of the documents should then be emailed or posted to RST. Once the replacement pass has been received by you, then you will need to return the defective card to RST

If the defect in the card operation is not due to failure of the card, e.g. it has been externally damaged then a replacement fee will be due and the card will be treated as a damaged or defaced card for which a separate process is applied.

Firstly, you will need to check with the station barrier staff that the SmartCard is actually faulty (i.e. it could be the gates that are faulty instead). If they agree that it is the SmartCard that is faulty, then:

If the holder of the SmartCard is an eligible family member, or if the holder is an employee and the SmartCard is not used for residential or duty travel, then you will need to complete a Replacement Form (see forms) to advise of the circumstances, who the SmartCard is for and what SmartCard is not working. This should then be posted to RST with the defective SmartCard so that it can be reissued.

If the holder of the SmartCard is an employee and the SmartCard is used for residential or duty travel, then you will need to complete a Replacement Form to advise of the circumstances, who the SmartCard is for and what SmartCard is not working. You should also scan or copy the defective SmartCard and attach the image of this to your email or form. All of the documents should then be emailed or posted to RST. Once the replacement SmartCard has been received by you, then you will need to return the defective SmartCard to RST

If the defect in the SmartCard operation is not due to failure of the SmartCard, e.g. it has been externally damaged then a replacement fee will be due and the SmartCard will be treated as a damaged or defaced SmartCard for which a separate process is applied.

If you have not received a card for either yourself or any eligible family members, then it is possible that it may have been lost in the post.

Firstly contact RST to check that it has been issued and to check the address that it was sent to. We will confirm the date we despatched it, and the address it was despatched to.

If you report non-delivery of the replacement card:

• within 1 month of the expiry of the old card, we will issue a replacement for free.
• more than 1 month after the expiry of the old card, a replacement fee will apply.

Non-delivery of cards must be reported by written confirmation from you by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by Royal Mail.

If a replacement fee is due, then we do not contact you for security purposes. So that you can be sure that you are speaking to RST, especially as you are providing payment details, you will need to call us during office hours. We do not contact you in these circumstances as you will not be sure whether you are speaking to us or not.

If there is no replacement fee due, then it is probably best to contact us in case the form has not been received by RST.

The preferred method of payment is by credit/debit card. You will need to contact us by phone. We can take payment securely over the phone and cards can be issued at this point.

Alternately, you can send us a cheque for the full amount. Cheques must be made payable to "Rail Staff Travel Ltd".

Finally, you could send us a postal order for the full amount (although payment should really be made by one of the above methods). They must also be made payable to "Rail Staff Travel Ltd".

Please do not send cash to us in payment as it may not arrive here and we are unable to handle this securely.

The replacement fees for lost cards are written into the rules, terms and conditions of all products (except international Coupons which cannot be replaced if lost under FIP rules).

These have been agreed by all TOCs, Employers and the DfT. They are to cover the administration costs involved in reissuing travel facilities.

Under the Facility Rules that the Staff Travel Cards are issued to, replacement of lost Staff Travel Cards are subject to pro-rata reduction of boxes based upon the month that the replacement was first notified to us (assuming payment is made within a reasonable period from this date).

This is mainly due to the fact that the card has been lost and, therefore, it is not possible to establish how many boxes may have been used at the point of loss. A pro-rata calculation is the fairest means of defining what boxes would remain to the holder.

Some TOCs have announced an intention to close ticket offices. At these stations we have been told that there will be Station Hosts available on the concourse and their roles will include issuing privilege rate tickets via handheld machines.

Separately, we are investigating alternative methods of obtaining privilege travel tickets, such as by online or telephone-supported booking systems. However, these may not be available for some time.

Meanwhile, if the facility to purchase a ticket doesn't exist at your departure station, you should be allowed to buy a Privilege discount ticket either on the train, at a station en-route, or at your destination station. As long as you actively seek to pay, there should be no problem and you will not be committing a travel irregularity.

Some TOCs have announced an intention to close ticket offices. At these stations we have been told that there will be Station Hosts available on the concourse and their roles will include issuing privilege rate tickets via handheld machines.

Separately, we are investigating alternative methods of obtaining privilege travel tickets, such as by online or telephone-supported booking systems. However, these may not be available for some time.

Meanwhile, if the facility to purchase a ticket doesn't exist at your departure station, you should be allowed to buy a Privilege discount ticket either on the train, at a station en-route, or at your destination station. As long as you actively seek to pay, there should be no problem and you will not be committing a travel irregularity.

Take your Staff Travel Card or Rail Staff Leisure Card to any station booking office and they will be able to make a seat reservation for you. Please ensure you check the latest restrictions first.

No. This discount is only available to Safeguarded Staff (and their eligible Dependants) that hold a Staff Travel Card that allows travel on LUL/DLR services.

Yes, you can (and so can your eligible Dependants), as long as your Staff Travel Card does not exclude travel on LUL/DLR services (check the endorsements on your Staff Travel Card).

To apply you will need to complete the TfL Privilege Oyster Application form (see forms). You should then email the completed form to RST for authorising (alternately you can post he completed form to us).

We will send an authorised form to you. You should then take your authorised form together with your current Staff Travel Card and Oyster card to a TfL (LUL) station. A member of staff in the booking hall will then be able set the Privilege discount on your Oyster card. If you don’t already have an Oyster card, you’ll need to pay a refundable deposit (currently £5) for one to be issued and add a minimum PAYG credit (also currently £5).

You must remember to touch in on the yellow Oyster card reader at the start and touch out at the end of every journey so that the correct fare is deducted. You must do this even if the gates are open, otherwise, you may pay more than you need. You can also use your Oyster Card on buses and trams, but you'll pay the full Pay As You Go fare.

The benefit of having an Oyster card is that, after the initial purchase, you won't have to queue to buy a ticket every time you want to travel. You just touch in and out. Pay As You Go fares are also always cheaper than cash fares.

When your new Staff Travel Card arrives in March (to start on the 1st April), you must take it with your Oyster card to a TfL (LUL) station, where the Privilege discount will be updated by the booking hall staff for use for a further year. If you don't do this by 30th June each year, the full public Oyster fare will be deducted when you use Pay As You Go until such time as you restore the Privilege-rate entitlement to the Oyster card.

Remember always to carry your Staff Travel Card with you when using the Privilege Oyster card, as proof of entitlement.

If the TfL ticket office is unable to sell you a Priv discounted ticket for your National Rail journey, and your journey is in the Pay As You Go area, you can use an Oyster Card with the NR Priv Discount set on it to travel.

If you do not have an Oyster Card with the NR Priv Discount set on it, or your journey takes you outside the Pay As You Go area, National Rail Conditions of Travel allow you to travel and buy an appropriate ticket to complete your journey as soon as reasonably practical, either on board a train, or at an interchange station, or at your final destination.

No, there is a difference.

Your child will need a Zip Oyster photocard. Use this link to find out more information about, and apply for you Zip Oyster photocard.

Children usually need a Zip Oyster photocard, as follows:

• 0-4 years - Free travel, no card needed
• 5-10 years travelling with an adult - Free travel, no card needed
• 5-10 years travelling alone - Zip Oyster photocard
• 11-15 years - Zip Oyster photocard
• 16-18 years - Zip Oyster photocard

To apply for the Priv discount you will need to complete the TfL Privilege Oyster Application form. You should then email the completed form to RST for authorising (alternately you can post he completed form to us).

We will send an authorised form to you. You should then take your authorised form, their existing Staff Travel Card and the Zip Oyster photocard to a TfL (LUL) station. A member of staff in the booking hall will then be able set the Privilege discount on the Zip Oyster photocard.

Privilege PAYG on Oyster can also be used for educational purposes. You now no longer need to purchase a child privilege rate season ticket for this purpose.

You can contact them by:

• Using the online feedback form and following the links
• Phone on 0343 222 1234
• Writing to TfL Customer Services, 14 Pier Walk, London SE10 0ES

In its simplest terms, an Employee that is Safeguarded is one that has been continuously employed in the rail industry since before 1st April 1996 or who was receiving staff travel as a Retired member of Staff resulting of previous employment in the rail industry at that qualifying date.

However, there are a number of qualifications that apply to this simple definition. For example, you must have been working for a franchised Train Operating Company (TOC) or an eligible third party employer. Eligible employers are referred to as Scheme employers. Some third party employers also have earlier qualification dates, i.e. the date that they were privatised from the former British Rail was before the main privatisation date above. Therefore, employees of these companies will have had to have been employed by these companies at the earlier, qualifying date.

If you leave Scheme employment, then there are a number of further criteria that must be met for you to qualify to retain your Safeguarded travel facilities. If you have been dismissed or have resigned then you lose all eligibility to receive Safeguarded travel facilities. If you retire (either by age or due to ill health) or are made redundant, then there are a number of criteria that must be met before you can retain your Safeguarded leisure travel facilities (these include, but are not limited to, your age at which this happens, your length of service and your leaving date).

Regardless of the reason for leaving Scheme employment you may be eligible to regain active Safeguarded status if you return to work with a Scheme employer. This is provided you do so within 3 years, and have not worked for a non-Scheme employer during this period. Employees who were made redundant may return to Scheme employment at any time provided they have not undertaken any work with a non-Scheme employer.

Essentially, this is an Employee of a franchised Train Operating Company (TOC) that is not a Safeguarded Employee.

These Employees may also be known as “New Entrants” or “New Starters” even if they have been employed since just after the 1st April 1996.

A reciprocal Employee is an Employee of a company that, under the terms of an agreement with the franchised Train Operating Companies (TOCs), allows free and/or discounted travel on their services in exchange for free and/or discounted travel on the national rail network.

Examples of reciprocal Employers are the leisure railways, TfL and Eurostar. All are subject to qualifying conditions.

A reciprocal arrangement is one that allows an exchange of free and/or discounted travel between companies either agreed on a national level, i.e. through Rail Staff Travel, or locally between Train Operating Companies (TOCs).

Privilege Rate refers to the discounted travel that can be purchased on the National Rail services of the franchised Train Operating Companies (TOCs) and the services of companies where reciprocal arrangements exist.

Holders of a Staff Travel Card or Rail Staff Leisure Card may purchase an unlimited number of privilege rate tickets for their own leisure travel. For the avoidance of doubt, tickets cannot be purchased for any other person, or for an enhanced class of travel, or for a purpose other than leisure.

The discount available to adults and dependant holders aged 16 or above is 75% of the adult rate for single and return tickets (i.e. one quarter of the adult rate). The discount available to 5 to 15 year old holders is 50% of the of the adult privilege rate for single and return tickets (i.e. one eighth of the adult rate) subject to a maximum of £2.00 per ticket.

Concessionary refers to the discounted travel that can be purchased on the reciprocal travel arrangements with RST. These include the leisure railways, TfL and Eurostar.

The discount available varies according to the arrangement in place.

National (travel) refers to travel on franchised TOCs in Great Britain.

It does not include Open Access Operators, leisure railways or trains operating in Northern Ireland.

International (travel) refers to travel on train operators that are not in Great Britain.

It does not include Open Access Operators, leisure railways or trains operating in Northern Ireland.

Eurostar is the passenger high speed train service that links the UK to France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel.

Holders of staff travel facilities may be able to travel on Eurostar subject to the terms and conditions of the facilities that they are issued with.

Eurotunnel is the vehicle shuttle train service that links the UK to France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel.

Holders of staff travel facilities have no travel privileges or concessions on Eurotunnel.

TOC Specific (travel) refers to travel on the specific franchised TOC that the Employee works for, or in some instances the trains of TOCs that are a part of the same operating group.

Many TOCs have their own reciprocal arrangements with other TOCs or travel providers. You will need to contact your own HR department for further information.

Transport for London.

TfL run various different travel methods which are Arriva Rail London (a franchised National Rail Train Operating Company), TfL Rail (Crossrail, a franchised National Rail Train Operating Company), London Underground (tube), Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Buses, Trams, Coaches, River Bus and Cycles.

For the purposes of staff travel, only the TfL services of the London Overground and TfL Rail are considered a part of the national rail network, although TOC services on Dual Availability Routes are also included within this.

Safeguarded Employees may be able to travel on London Underground and DLR services, subject to the correct documentation being obtained.

Dual Availability routes are those lines that are used by services run by both London Underground and the franchised TOCs.

A Smart Card is a credit card sized plastic card that has embedded integrated circuits. It is encoded to operate in a contactless manner but will also be personalised to show the extent of travel provided.

FIP stands for "Groupement pour les Facilités de Circulation Internationales du Personnel des Chemins de Fer". It is the group of transport undertakings that is the European equivalent of RST.

TOC stands for Train Operating Company.

The current TOCs are:

• Arriva Cross Country
• Arriva Rail London
• Arriva Trains Wales
• c2c
• Caledonian Sleeper
• Chiltern
• East Midlands Trains
• GoVia Thameslink Railway (Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern)
• Greater Anglia
• Great Western Railway
• London Midland
• Merseyrail
• MTR Crossrail
• Northern Rail
• ScotRail
• Southeastern
• South West Trains
• TransPennine Express
• Virgin Trains East Coast
• Virgin Trains West Coast

An Open Access Operator is a non-franchised train operator. They have access to the national rail network by purchasing availability from the infrastructure company.

In GB, the Open Access Operators are:

• Grand Central Railway
• Heathrow Connect
• Heathrow Express
• Hull Trains
• Tyne and Wear Metro
• Eurostar