What national rail staff travel facilities are provided to an employee?

The Rail Staff Leisure Card provides a discount of 75% off Anytime and Off-Peak, and some Rover and Ranger tickets. The discount is known as priv (privilege) rate. Priv-rate tickets can only be used for leisure travel. They cannot be used for residential travel (i.e. commuting), or duty or business travel. For residential travel (i.e. commuting) between home and your work location, you can apply to RSTL for authority to purchase a reduced rate season ticket.If your TOC issues you with a roster which requires you to travel on other TOC services for duty, your employer can request RSTL to provide you with a Duty Authority to Travel pass.

What facilities are provided to family members of an employee?

The Rail Staff Leisure card can be used to purchase priv-rate tickets for leisure travel. Priv-rate tickets cannot be used for residential travel (i.e. commuting), or duty or business travel. Partners/spouses and dependant children can apply for a reduced rate season ticket as above if they are travelling to a place of full-time education (school, college or university). They are not eligible for any reduced rate season tickets for commuting to their own employment. If you have a partner but you do not live at the same address, then your partner is not eligible for any FIP International Travel benefits.

How do employees get their facilities?

Your TOC will notify RSTL that you have joined them as an employee. RSTL will create your rail staff travel record. You must upload a passport-style photograph of yourself using our Photo Upload form. Your Rail Staff Leisure Card will be issued and posted to your home address. It is valid for a maximum of 12 months and will be automatically renewed, providing you are still an employee.

How do family members get their facilities?

Once your rail staff travel record is created, you can apply to RSTL to add your family members to your record. The eligible family members are one spouse or partner, plus any dependent children of either of you. For a spouse or civil partner, you must supply a copy of a marriage or civil partnership certificate. For other partnerships:

• If you live together, you need evidence that you live at the same address and make a Statutory Declaration
• If you do not live together you need to make a Statutory Declaration

Statutory Declarations must be made in front of a Solicitor, Commissioner of Oaths, Justice of the Peace or a Notary Public to confirm that you are in a meaningful relationship.

You upload a passport-style photograph of each family member along with each application. Once family members are added to your record and we have accepted the photographs of them, RSTL will send you their Rail Staff Leisure cards. The lead time for this is typically 3-4 weeks from application but may be longer at busy times. As the employee it is your decision whether or not to add family members to your staff travel record. Employees are responsible for:

• ensuring all family members are aware of the Conditions of Issue and Use, Staff Travel Restrictions, and understand the consequences of misuse.
• informing RSTL immediately when a family member is no longer eligible, through divorce or separation, or where dependant children are no longer classified as dependent (i.e. when they obtain employment, or enter into a relationship, or leave home).
• returning any passes no longer required to RSTL

How do I buy discounted tickets?

Once we post your Rail Staff Leisure Card to you, we will e-mail you details of RST Online, our booking system, and your registration details. You will be able to purchase tickets and have them delivered by e-mail, or with a booking reference to collect at station. You can also purchase tickets for leisure journeys, by taking your Rail Staff Leisure Card to any National Rail station ticket office.

If you start your journey at a station with an open ticket office, you must purchase a ticket before you board the train. If you start your journey at station with no open ticket office, you can buy a priv-rate ticket on board (unless there is a penalty fare area in operation and the ticket vending machine has a promise to pay or permit to travel option. In this case, you must obtain a promise to pay or permit to travel before boarding the train).

To purchase a reduced rate season ticket for commuting you need to obtain an authorisation form from RSTL. National Rail station ticket offices will sell you your reduced rate season ticket on submission of the authorisation form.

Where can I go with my national rail staff travel facilities?

It is valid on all National Rail Train Operating Company services, including open access operators Grand Central, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains and Lumo. You cannot use tickets on London Underground or Docklands Light Railway unless you have a priv-rate ticket which includes the Cross-London indicator (†) which allows you to transfer between London Terminal stations. Other carriers accept the Rail Staff Leisure Card, including London Tramlink and many Leisure and Heritage Railways. Details are in the Where Can I Go guide for Non-Safeguarded Staff.

What about travel facilities on European railways and shipping companies?

This is covered by a separate introductory guide on the RSTL website.

Misuse of rail staff travel facilities

Misuse of rail staff travel facilities is a serious disciplinary office.

• Your TOC HR department will follow its disciplinary processes in relation to your continued employment.
• The TOC which detects the offence will follow its Revenue Protection process in relation to loss of revenue.
• RSTL will review your eligibility to retain your rail staff travel facilities under their Travel Irregularity process. If you lose your eligibility for staff travel facilities, so will all your family members.
• Where a spouse, partner or dependant child misuses their facilities, RSTL will review the eligibility of the spouse, partner or dependant to retain their rail staff travel facilities under the Travel Irregularity process.

This is a guide to the National and International rail staff travel facilities granted to employees who joined rail employment on or after 1 April 1996 and their eligible dependents.

If you work for Network Rail and joined on or after 1 April 1996 you should refer to the Staff Travel guide for holders of the RST Online Leisure Card

Employees who joined the rail industry on or before 31 March 1996 should refer to the Staff Travel Guide for holders of the Staff Travel Card.

The eligibility for facilities is defined in the TOC Privilege Travel Arrangement.

This guide gives you an overview of the benefits you might enjoy. It is not a legally binding document.

The TOC Privilege Travel Arrangement is a non-contractual arrangement reviewed annually by TOCs and which may be withdrawn at any time.

TOC or group concessions available through specific employers are outside the scope of this Guide.

Use of travel facilities is subject at all times to the:

• Rail Staff Travel Conditions of Issue and Use
• National Rail Conditions of Travel
• Travel Restrictions (updated a minimum of twice a year)

You can get further information from Rail Staff Travel by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The purpose of your journey determines the type of rail staff travel facility you can use.

Leisure Travel

This is classified as travelling for social/pleasure reasons (as long as it does not fall within the Residential Travel or Duty Travel categories or involve trading or other remunerative activity). If you are travelling to a place of work but going to the gym, shopping or socialising  before or after the journey is classed as a residential journey and cannot be considered as leisure travel.

The use of staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for leisure travel is permitted for both employees, partners and child dependents.

Residential Travel (i.e. commuting)

Residential Travel is travelling from your permanent place of residence (i.e. your home address) to your permanent place of regular employment (i.e. your office, depot or station) or education (i.e. a university, college or school), i.e. commuting.

Employees can have only one place of regular employment and a child dependent one place of regular education. Spouses/partners are not eligible for any residential travel.

Dependent children who earn under the weekly threshold may not use staff discounted (priv rate) Season Tickets for commuting to work. These are only available for commuting to a place of education. If a child works you should check whether they are still eligible for rail staff travel facilities.

Where dependent children attend an educational establishment on a full time basis for school or advanced education and live away from the family home in term time accommodation, then travel between the term time accommodation and the school/university/college is considered residential travel.

Occasional travel between the family home and the term time accommodation (i.e. at the start and end of term, at weekends or occasionally mid-week) is considered leisure travel.

The use of Priv Rate Season Tickets for Residential Travel is only permitted for employees and dependent children. These can only be purchased once Rail Staff Travel has  authorised the application.

The use of single/return Priv-rate tickets for residential travel is not permitted for employees, partners or child dependents.

Duty Travel

Duty Travel is travelling as required by your employment or employer during the working day. This includes attending training events and meetings. For clarity only employees are eligible for duty travel.

The use of staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for Duty Travel is prohibited for both employees, partners and child dependents.

The Rail Staff Travel products available are:

Rail Staff Leisure Card

Leisure travel is delivered via the Rail Staff Leisure Card. You can use it to purchase unlimited staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for leisure travel. It cannot be used for free travel or to buy staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for travelling to work.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets can only be used by the Rail Staff Leisure Card holder and are not transferrable to any other person.

Help for those who have difficulty travelling alone

Cardholders unable to travel alone and needing someone to travel with them can have their card endorsed to allow an attendant to travel with them on National Rail services. This provision does not extend to reciprocal carriers (i.e. ferries or heritage railways), London Underground or any TOC or group issued cards/passes. It also does not apply to FIP cards or coupon.

The cardholder must meet the eligibility criteria for a Disabled Persons Railcard (they do not have to purchase the Disabled Persons Railcard). 

The primary cardholder will need to provide proof of this to RST. Please submit the Attendant Request XX45 form and attach an image of the relevant proof. 

The attendant travelling with the cardholder must also purchase a staff discounted (priv-rate) ticket.

Staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket

Residential Travel (i.e. commuting to and from work) is delivered through a Priv Rate Season Ticket or a Priv Rate Flexi-Season Ticket.

Obtaining a Staff discounted (priv rate) Season/Flexi-Season Ticket

Employees must apply to Rail Staff Travel for an authority to purchase a staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket using the Employee Residential Travel (XX01) or Employee Priv-rate Flexi Season (XX32) form.

If the journey meets the criteria for a staff discounted (priv rate) season ticket, Rail Staff Travel will authorise the journey. Depending on the fulfilment method selected either:

• an authority to purchase the staff discounted (priv rate) season ticket will be sent to the employee to hand in at the ticket office when buying the ticket Or
• the employees RST Online account will be updated to enable the purchase of the requested Season Ticket. The employee will need to already hold an RST Season Ticket Smartcard.

Employees who choose to purchase their season ticket at the station will need to apply to RST for an authorisation form for each season ticket they buy.

Employees who choose to purchase their season ticket from RST Online will have continuous authority to purchase consecutive season tickets or flexi-season tickets for their journey providing their home address and work location remain unchanged. This means there is no need to apply when you wish to purchase a season ticket for the same journey.

Flexi Seasons are not available for all rail journeys. This includes journeys entirely within the Scotrail network, the Transport for Wales network, the MerseyRail travel area or the London Fare Zones Area.

Refunds of staff discounted (priv rate) Season or Flexi-Season Tickets

For tickets bought at stations, an employee must submit the season ticket to Rail Staff Travel to authorise the refund and complete Refund Form XX11.  Rail Staff Travel will accept a photo of the Season Ticket cut into four pieces and a photo taken and emailed to Rail Staff Travel. You must also include an image of the ticket before you cut it up so all details can be viewed.

Rail Staff Travel will process the refund for tickets purchased via RST Online or send the ticket to the appropriate department within the Train Operating Company to process the refund.

For tickets bought through RST Online, the employee can submit the refund request in the ‘Your Account’ section of RST Online.

Photo ID card for staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket or Flexi Season

Photo ID is a mandatory requirement for all employees and child dependents (including those under age 16) to support the use of a staff discounted (priv rate) paper Season Ticket.

For employees who hold an RST Season Ticket Smartcard and have their Season Ticket loaded onto it, no further Photo ID is required. For those with a paper ticket, the valid form of Photo ID to support the staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket is the RST Photo ID.

To obtain a RST Photocard, please submit the Employee RST Photocard ID (XX43) form.

The Rail Staff Leisure Card is not a valid form of identification for the purchase or use of a staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket or Flexi Season.

Please note that in very limited circumstances a spouse/partner may be eligible for a staff discounted (priv rate) Season ticket. Please contact Rail Staff Travel for more information.

FIP International Reduced Rate Card

See the later section in this document on Foreign Undertakings for more information.

International FIP Coupons

See the later section in this document on Foreign Undertakings for more information.

Loss & Replacement of Rail Staff Leisure Cards or Passes

All losses, for any reason, must be reported to RST immediately, even if you are not going to order a replacement. If you do not and someone else is found using it, you will be liable for the misuse. A replacement fee is payable if cards are lost, damaged or destroyed.  The fee may be waived if loss is the result of theft, robbery or fire, subject to evidence of this being produced from the relevant police or fire service authorities. 

Postal losses notified later than one month after the expiry date of the previous card or pass will not be replaced free of charge but must be paid for as if lost by the holder. There are no exceptions to this rule as this is to support fraud prevention.

Likewise if you move and do not let RST know your new address, and are unable to collect your cards/passes you will need to pay a replacement fee before replacements can be issued.

The replacement charges are published here.

To request any replacement card or pass, please submit either:

• Replacement of Lost or Damaged Cards (XX35)
• Replacement of Faulty or Stolen Cards (XX34)

Joining a TOC or another eligible employer

When you start employment, your employer will notify Rail Staff Travel and provide us with your details.  For most employers this is at the start of employment, but this can vary by employer.

We will create your Rail Staff Travel record for you. We will require a passport-style photo of you. You must submit this online at www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/forms.html#uploadphoto

Once we have your information and photo, we will automatically issue your Rail Staff Leisure Card, and any other relevant TOC specific travel products and send it to your home address.

You will also receive an email with your one-time pass-code so you can register for RST Online. 

Rail Staff Travel products may take up to 2 weeks to be created by the production service and delivered to you. If you have not received them within 4 weeks of starting, please contact RST.

Moving from one TOC to another TOC

If you move between Train Operating Companies and retain continuous service (i.e. you finish with your TOC on one day and start with the new TOC within one month) you may retain your National and International travel passes, but you must return any TOC and group specific passes to the TOC you are leaving.

If between working for one TOC and another TOC you work for another employer, or you leave a TOC and are not joining another TOC, you must return your Rail Staff Leisure Cards and FIP cards direct to RST. You need to cut each one into four, take a photo and email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You need to do this for family members as well. If employees fail to do this and then join another TOC, RST will not issue any new cards/passes until these expire or are returned.

Resignation, retirement, redundancy or dismissal

Your eligibility for national and international travel facilities ceases when you leave employment with National Rail TOCs, regardless of the reason for leaving.

All cards/passes issued by RST to you and all family members must be returned to RST. You need to cut each one into four, take a photo and email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You need to do this for family members as well. If employees fail to do this and then join another TOC, RST will not issue any new cards/passes until these expire or are returned.

Full information on the eligibility of family members is in a separate guide.

Children under age 5 travel for free on most National Rail services. Therefore staff travel facilities are not normally issued until a child reaches their 5^th birthday. However RST will issue national staff travel facilities once a child is over twelve months of age. FIP cards are issued to children aged 4 and over on request, providing the employee holds an active FIP card.

Facilities for a couple, both employed in the rail industry

As a general rule, upon becoming an “employed couple”, you can opt for leisure travel in your own right, or as a partner. This must apply to both National and international leisure travel. You can however retain residential travel and your TOC Specific travel offered by your employer separately as an employee, even if you take your leisure travel through your partner. 

European (FIP) travel must align with your national travel facilities, as opposed to TOC-specific, eligibility.

We recommend that you approach RST for specific guidance if you are unsure.

Likewise children of employees who both work in the railway are only eligible for one set of National rail staff travel facilities.

Leisure Travel

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets

Leisure travel is delivered to holders of a Rail Staff Leisure Card.

You can use it to purchase unlimited staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for leisure travel only, subject to the Restrictions on Travel as documented above in section 2.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets can only be used by the Rail Staff Leisure Card holder and are not transferrable to any other person.

The Rail Staff Leisure Card is valid until the date printed on the card.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are not valid on TfL Underground and DLR services in London except when the ticket shows the Cross-London Indicator, in which case it may be used on the Underground to cross London between the relevant London Terminal stations only.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets purchased with a Rail Staff Leisure Card must not be used for business, trading, duty or residential (commuting to work or travel to educational establishments).

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

Staff Travel Restrictions and complimentary refreshments

The use of staff discounted (priv rate) tickets and staff discounted (priv rate) Season Tickets is subject to Staff Travel Restrictions on rail services. These are updated at least twice per year.

www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/where-can-i-go.html

It is the responsibility of the employee and their family member to ensure they do not travel in contravention of the Staff Travel Restrictions. It is not the responsibility of RST Online or any ticket office or ticket clerk to know whether or not the train you wish to travel on is subject to the Staff Travel Restrictions.

Travelling on restricted services will be treated as a Travel Irregularity.

Train Operators have restrictions on the acceptance of complimentary refreshments by holders of rail staff travel facilities.

As ticket inspection and refreshment service may be carried out by different on-board staff, those providing refreshments may not know that you are travelling using Rail Staff Travel facilities.

You must refuse refreshments when offered, unless the Staff Travel Restrictions document specifically allows you to accept them.

Class of Travel

If you hold a STD class Rail Staff Leisure Card, then you may only buy Standard Class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets and travel in Standard Class.

Where a TOC offers Weekend First upgrades, Rail Staff Leisure Card holders with Standard Class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets, may purchase the Weekend First upgrade at the public rate and travel in First Class accommodation.

A few TOCs may allow the purchase of upgrades for First Class using apps such as Seatfrog, however, not all of them allow this. If it is permitted, it will be documented in the Staff Travel Restrictions.

Apart from the exceptions above, you cannot pay the difference between Standard Class and First Class fares to travel in First Class accommodation.

If you hold a 1st Class Rail Staff Leisure Card, then you may buy either Standard or First Class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets. If you buy Standard Class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets, then you may only travel in Standard Class accommodation.

Seat Reservations

When purchasing a staff discounted (priv rate) ticket it is normally possible to make a seat reservation where available. Seat reservations are available via RST Online either as part of a ticket purchase or separately if travelling with a dated Staff Travel Card or Status Pass. Some TOCs restrict staff from making seat reservations and the rules are in the Staff Travel Restrictions.

How to buy a staff discounted (priv rate) ticket, and what to do if this is not possible

You can purchase tickets online your RST Online account. If you do not yet have details on how to do this contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Where the station has a staffed ticket office, you must purchase a valid ticket before you start a journey, irrespective of the length of queue or wait time.

If you are travelling from a station within a Penalty Fare area, then you must obtain a permit to travel at the public rate in accordance with the Penalty Fare instructions displayed at the station.

If you board a train from a station with an open ticket office and have no ticket, or from a station in a Penalty Fare area and you haven’t obtained a ‘promise to pay’ ticket, the train operator is within their right to refuse to sell you a Priv-rate ticket and report it as a Travel Irregularity.

Only if the ticket office is closed, and there is no local ‘promise to pay’ in use, can you buy a Priv-rate ticket on board a train. You must actively seek out staff on-board the train, have your fare ready and offer to pay it at the first available opportunity. By offering to pay there can be no question that you are trying to travel without paying.

If you don’t actively offer to pay, then you may be accused of fare avoidance, and risk committing a Travel Irregularity. (See the separate section on Travel Irregularities for the consequences).

Travel to and from the Isle of Wight

Staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets are not available on Wightlink or Red Funnel Ferries to and from the Isle of Wight. Fares which include a through journey on any of these carriers are not available at priv-rate.

Discounted travel is available on Hovertravel between Southsea and Ryde. Please see the entry further below in this document.

Residential Travel (Commuting)

Residential travel can only be granted from the station nearest to your home address and the station nearest your permanent work location.

A Rail Staff Leisure Card cannot be used to buy a Priv Rate Season Ticket or daily tickets for travel to work or school/college.

Priv Rate Season Tickets are available immediately upon commencing employment with a TOC once their purchase has been authorised by Rail Staff Travel. 

For more information see section ‘Staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket.’

Staff discounted (priv rate) Season Tickets may also be used for leisure travel on the route specified.

Sleeper Services

Employees, spouse/partners and child dependents are eligible for staff travel on Caledonian Sleeper and Great Western Railway Sleeper:

Caledonian Sleepers

On Caledonian Sleeper services between Euston and destinations in Scotland there are two options available for staff discounted travel:

1. 75% discount off the public fare (single only), inclusive of travel and room accommodation (Solo or Twin Accommodation), on presentation of a Rail Staff Leisure Card. Reduced fares are subject to availability and can be purchased in advance from a National Rail station or via RST Online.
2. Purchase a staff discounted (priv rate) Any time or Off Peak ticket and pay the room supplement. There is no discount on the room supplement. Room supplements can be booked online at sleeper.scot

Please note that option 1 is usually cheaper. These fares are called Classic Solo or Classic Twin (for standard class Rail Staff Leisure Card holders) and Club Solo or Club Twin (for first class Rail Staff Leisure Card holders). The image below provides an example of how this appears in RST Online.

Holders of Standard Class facilities may only travel in Classic accommodation. Holders of Standard Class facilities must pay the full public rate if they wish to travel in Club Class.

Holders of 1st Class facilities are eligible for discounted travel in either Club or Classic accommodation.

There are no staff discounted rates on travel in Caledonian Doubles.

Generally staff discounted (priv rate) fares are available 90 days in advance of the travel date, but this might be reduced during periods where the sleeper is operating with reduced coaching stock.

Due to the nature of Caledonian Sleeper, there is a finite number of rooms available. In the event of service disruption where the number of rooms operating is reduced, those already booked may be asked to move to alternate services / dates. This is a general policy which applies to all ticket holders and is not specific to those using Staff Travel facilities

There is no discounted travel in the overnight seated accommodation. Rail staff may use discounted travel in seated accommodation on daytime legs between Kingussie – Inverness, Edinburgh – Fort William and Fort William – Edinburgh. Reservations are mandatory but this can only be made up to 7 days before travel. This applies to all travel facilities including 75% discounted tickets, or season tickets.

Travelling with children on Caledonian Sleeper

When travelling with children, you may obtain 75% discount off the public fare inclusive of travel and room accommodation on presentation of a Rail Staff Leisure Card.

You need to request a ‘Solo Room with free child’ ticket and the child effectively travels for free.

Reduced fares are subject to availability and can be purchased in advance from a National Rail station.

If there are more children travelling than adults with rail staff travel facilities, then an additional room will have to be purchased at the 75% discount adult rate.

Great Western Railway sleepers

Great Western operate the Night Riviera sleeper between London Paddington and Penzance.

To travel you must purchase a staff discounted (priv rate) ticket and pay the sleeping berth supplement.

The berth supplements are commercially priced so vary depending on forecast demand. The twin cabin cannot be shared with a stranger, so can only be booked if two passengers are travelling.  The prices are visible in RST Online when making bookings or available at any National Rail station ticket office.

There are no discounts on the berth supplements for any category of customer (Child / Railcard / PRIV etc.).

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets may be used in the seated accommodation, but seat reservations are strongly recommended.

Tickets can be purchased from a GWR managed station ticket office, or via RST Online.

Train delays and service disruption

When employees using their national leisure or residential travel concessions are subject to train delays and service disruptions, they should be dealt with no less favourably than the public insofar as the provision of alternative transport, overnight accommodation or compensation (based on actual fare paid if appropriate) is concerned.

Employees should apply for ‘Delay/Repay’ on the website of the TOC they were travelling on.

Travel Irregularities

Employees are responsible for the proper use of all rail staff travel facilities that are issued to themselves and their families.

The Employee has absolute discretion as to whether they allow their spouse/partner and child dependent(s) to enjoy these facilities.

The Scheme sets out the sanctions that are applied if any holder of any National or International rail staff travel facility, whether employee, spouse/partner or dependent child, attempts to use it fraudulently or allows someone else to do so.

Generally, if a primary cardholder transgresses, the spouse/partner and all dependents also lose their facilities; if a spouse/partner or dependent child is at fault, then generally just that individual is subject to penalty.

Any person who is found to:

• improperly use any Rail Staff Leisure Card
• improperly use any ticket/pass issued by or on behalf of a TOC or Group
• transfer or any card, ticket or pass, or attempts to do so,

will be liable to prosecution, permanent withdrawal of rail staff travel facilities and, if an employee, possible dismissal.

Staff discounted (priv rate) leisure tickets purchased with a Rail Staff Leisure Card are not valid for business, trading, duty or residential use (commuting to work or travel to educational establishments) by either employees, partners or dependent children. Where such cases are detected they will be treated as a travel irregularity.

There is more information in the Travel Irregularities document www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/where-can-i-go.html

Complaints

If you have a problem using Rail Staff Travel facilities on TOC services, you should firstly raise the issue with the TOC concerned. Details of how to contact each TOC can be found on their website.

If your complaint remains unresolved, then you should then raise your complaint with the Rail Ombudsman. www.railombudsman.org

If you have problems in the following areas, please contact Rail Staff Travel

• Using Travel facilities on non-TOC services, e.g. Leisure Railways
• The service provided to you by Rail Staff Travel
• Using FIP Rail Staff Travel facilities in Europe

Rail Staff Travel facilities are valid on the services of the following franchised and concessionary National Rail train operating companies.

 When a franchised or concessionary operator is replaced by another franchised or concessionary operator, or any other operator appointed by the Department for Transport, national rail staff travel facilities remain valid on the services provided by the new operator.

Rail Staff Travel facilities are valid on the services of the following open access National Rail train operating companies.

• Grand Central
• Heathrow Express
• Hull Trains
• Lumo

Travel facilities are granted to employees, spouse/partners and child dependents on some other GB transport undertakings as indicated below. Unless otherwise stated, only reduced rate travel is available, and for leisure use only.

Rail

Eurostar

The Rail Staff Leisure Card does not offer discounts on Eurostar. FIP discounted fares are available once you and your eligible family members have an FIP International Reduced Rate Card which should be carried with your tickets on the journey. FIP fares are subject to availability (so the further in advance the FIP tickets are booked, the greater the choice of trains available.

Reservations on Eurostar services are compulsory. Prices and booking details.

Although tickets can be purchased on the day of travel at the stations served, it is better to obtain tickets in advance through International Rail. For International Rail, you can 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

There are also alternative agents, details can be found on our FAQs

Reservations can be made in Standard Plus (1st class) by holders of 1st Class FIP. You cannot upgrade from Standard Class to Standard Plus for holders of Standard Class FIP.

London Tramlink

Unlimited free leisure travel for Rail Staff Leisure Card holders (just show your Rail Staff Leisure Card).

West Coast Railway Company

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are available on all services directly operated by West Coast Railway Company including the Jacobite, The Dalesman, the Scarborough Express etc. Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are not available on other operators services which West Coast Railway provide motive power or rolling stock for. There is no staff discounted (priv rate) available on 1st class fares.

West Coast Railway Company booking details: Std class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets. Telephone: 01524 732100. First class public rate tickets from the public website.

Heritage Railways (generally not on the National Rail network)

Staff discounted (priv rate) travel is generally not available on special event days with leisure/heritage railways. You should check with the railway to ensure that staff discounted (priv rate) travel is available. Staff discounted (priv rate) travel is obtained by presentation of the Rail Staff Leisure Card. Other TOC specific and group specific passes will not be accepted.

Shipping

Hovertravel

Staff discounted (priv-rate) fares for leisure travel are available on Hovertravel services between Southsea and Ryde.

Through fares are available from many (but not all) mainland stations via Hovertravel to stations on the Isle of Wight.

Holders of the Rail Staff Leisure Card can also purchase staff discounted (priv-rate) fares at the Hovertravel terminal at either Southsea or Ryde. Hovertravel operate a connecting bus between Portsmouth and Southsea station and Southsea Hovertravel terminal. If you intend to purchase a staff discounted (priv-rate) fare at Southsea Hovertravel terminal you can present your Card on board the bus at Portsmouth and Southsea station for free transfer. Alternatively you can purchase your priv rate ticket at the Portsmouth Hard Exchange travel centre.

Irish Ferries

Irish Ferries operate services between Pembroke Dock and Rosslare, and between Holyhead and Dublin.

Rail Staff Leisure Card holders may purchase staff discounted (priv rate) foot-passenger tickets.

The discount is available on the price of the foot-passenger ticket. Port tax must be paid at the public rate. Tickets must be purchased from Irish Ferries in advance of travel.

Irish Ferries booking details

Telephone 08717 300 400

Stena Line Irish Services

Rail Staff Leisure Cards for employees, partners and dependent children can be used on services operated by Stena Line on its services to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Travel as a foot passenger is free, but a Port Tax ticket (for all passengers aged 4 or over) must be obtained in advance and presented at the embarkation port.

Passengers should report at least 45 minutes prior to departure on all routes except Belfast-Liverpool where check-in is at least 90 minutes prior to departure.

The following routes tend to be exceptionally busy throughout the summer months, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Halloween and Bank Holiday periods:

• Cairnryan – Belfast
• Fishguard – Rosslare
• Holyhead – Dublin
• Liverpool – Belfast

Reservations are compulsory on all sailings. All free and concessionary travel holders must have the correct documentation before travelling. Bookings cannot be made at the Port on the day of departure.

Space for concessionary travel is subject to availability. An alternative can be requested if the first choice of sailing has no space left for concessionary travel.

All Stena Line services are single class.

Vehicles

Fares are generally cheaper the earlier the booking is made. As such the 50% discount available to staff for conveyance of vehicles will be on the flexi fare available at the time of booking.

Port Taxes

These are payable on Stena Line services in each direction for adults and children (4-15 years).

Environmental Charge

All passengers and vehicles are subject to the Environmental Charge introduced as part of the global regulation on Sulphur emissions introduced by the International Maritime Organisation.

The fees are currently payable for all single journeys as follows:

More details are available on the Stena Line website here: www.stenaline.co.uk/customer-service/booking/what-fees-dues-and-charges-apply-and-when

Other facilities

Cabins, Stena Plus and Meals can also be pre-booked at brochure prices.

Stena Line booking details

Telephone: 03432 081801 for port tax payments and vehicle discounted fares.

Online: www.stenaline.co.uk for Cabins, Stena Plus and Meals.

Stena Line Harwich to Hook of Holland

The facilities for this are in the European (FIP) Arrangements. Please see the Travel Tips for Europe.

Windermere Lake Cruises

Unlimited free travel is granted to all Rail Staff Leisure Card holders, including partners and child dependents.

Before boarding, a Boarding Pass must be obtained by producing a valid Rail Staff Leisure Card at the Company’s booking offices at Ambleside, Bowness or Lakeside.

Luton Airport

Luton DART

Privilege rate tickets may be purchased to Luton Airport which includes the transfer from Luton Airport Parkway to Luton Airport on Luton DART.

There is no free travel on Luton DART for any rail staff holding any TOC specific pass.

There is no eligibility for free or reduced rate travel on TfLs’ London Underground, Dockland Light Railway, bus and river services.

National Rail Services in the Oyster area

You can use your Rail Staff Leisure Card to travel at staff discounted (priv rate) either by purchasing a paper ticket or using an Oyster card.  This is for leisure journeys only and cannot be used for residential travel. This applies to eligible family members who hold a Rail Staff Leisure Card.

If you want to travel using staff discounted (priv rate) on an Oyster card, take your Rail Staff Leisure Card to one of the Elizabeth Line stations listed below within the times stated and ask an Elizabeth Line member of staff for help. Your Oyster card must be registered before staff can set the discount.

London Overground and the Elizabeth Line are part of the national rail network so priv rate tickets are valid on all of their services.

On services operated by Tramlink which is owned by TfL, showing a Rail Staff Leisure Card allows free leisure travel.

There is no concessionary travel within London on other TfL services (i.e. London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, London Buses, London River Services etc.).

However, staff discounted (priv rate) tickets purchased with a Rail Staff Leisure Card may used on TfL services for National Rail Cross London journeys between London Terminals stations where the relevant Cross London indication is shown on the National Rail travel ticket.

You cannot use your Rail Staff Leisure Card for free or discounted travel in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.

The FIP Card can be used to purchase discounted tickets, and FIP coupons can be used for free travel. See ‘Travel Tips in Europe’ for more information.

If you are crossing the border travelling on the Enterprise service and using FIP coupons and crossing the border then both NIR and CIE coupons are needed.

European (FIP) Arrangements

After one year’s service, reduced rate or free rail travel is granted to TOC employees, co-habiting partners and child dependents on FIP carriers.

FIP facilities are not available to non-cohabiting partners.

Employees of other organisations who receive a Rail Staff Leisure Card are not eligible for travel under the FIP arrangements. This is for TOC employees and family only.

The International Reduced Rate Card (FIP Card) is for unlimited reduced rate leisure travel (i.e. buying discounted tickets) and International Coupons (FIP Coupons) are for limited free leisure travel.

FIP free and reduced rate travel facilities may only be used for leisure purposes. They cannot be used for residential, commuting or duty travel.

Guidelines on travel in Europe can be found in the Travel Tips for Europe guide.

General

There are a number of open access and franchised carriers in countries which were previously covered by a single national carrier. FIP facilities are carrier specific and care must be taken by FIP facilities holders to ensure that the carrier accepts the FIP facilities held.

The class of travel allowed by European carriers is the same as that granted to an employee on National Rail.

On FIP carriers (except on Eurostar), it is usually possible to upgrade from 2^nd Class to 1^st Class where the difference in the public fare between 2^nd and 1^st class is paid for in advance. It is an offence for an employee holding 2^nd class facilities to travel 1^st class unless the difference in fare has been paid prior to travel.

Business class is often not available to FIP 1^st or 2^nd class facilities holders.

Restrictions imposed by FIP carriers from time to time are on the Europe and FIP page.

Supplements and seat reservations are payable on many express, long distance or cross-border services, particularly ICE and TGV. Some carriers do not permit supplements to be purchased on board the train, unless departing from a station where the ticket office is not staffed.

Free Travel – FIP coupons

Free travel is granted usually once a year on most FIP carriers to all employees, spouse/partners and child dependents (see table below for details). FIP International Free Coupons that are issued must be in the same name as your passport and you must have this with you when traveling.

Coupons are valid for a maximum of 3 months from date of issue. To travel before 31 March of the next year out of the current year’s quota, you must apply at least 3 weeks before 31 December, and state your outward travel date as 31 December.

Apply online on the International Coupon Application Form (XX09b for employee travel only or XX09c for employees, partners and child dependents) at - www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/forms.html#international  

You must apply a minimum of 3 weeks before your intended date of travel. 

Coupons are issued as a batch for the journey requested.

All FIP carriers listed below grant unlimited reduced rate leisure travel for all FIP card holders.

The allocation of coupons available per carrier is shown in the Travel Tips for Europe guide.

Reduced rate travel – FIP Cards

International Reduced Rate (FIP) Cards are valid for two calendar years. They are only valid for travel in conjunction with the Passport of the holder, and must be presented to purchase discounted tickets, and also when discounted tickets are inspected. The name on the passport must match that on the International Reduced Rate Card.

Booking reduced rate tickets or obtaining reservations for free travel

To obtain reduced rate tickets, seat, couchette, sleeper reservations and supplements from the UK, you can contact, International Rail. Bookings can be made as early as 6 months, or as late as 21 days, prior to travel.  

W: www.bookmyrst.co.uk/

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

You can also make bookings for journeys involving any of the following:

• When using International Coupons for free travel on services but additionally requiring reservations or paying mandatory supplements, or using an FIP card for discounted journeys
• Eurostar Blue* London to Lille/Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam
• Lyria* TGV within France only
• Eurostar Red* between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany
• AVE internal services within Spain (Special FIP Leisure Fares include travel ticket and reservation are payable by holders of International Coupon tickets and International Reduced Rate Cards.)
• RENFE within Spain and between Spain and Portugal
• DB/SNCF* from France to Germany

* FIP Leisure Fares include travel ticket and seating/overnight accommodation. International Coupon Tickets are not valid.

** special FIP Leisure Fares which include travel ticket and reservation are payable by holders of International Coupon tickets and International Reduced Rate Cards.

When booking please have your International Reduced Rate Card and debit/credit card details ready.

This is a guide to the National Rail Staff Travel facilities for those people who hold the RST Online Leisure Card.

Use of travel facilities is subject at all times to the:

• Rail Staff Travel Conditions of Issue and Use
• National Rail Conditions of Travel
• Travel Restrictions (updated a minimum of twice a year)

The scheme is for leisure travel on some carriers in Britain only.

• It is not valid for travel on the Caledonian Sleeper, Hull Trains, Grand Central, London Overground, or Docklands Light Railway.
• It is not valid for travel on London Underground (except when crossing London between London Terminal stations using a ticket containing the Cross-London marker)
• It is not valid for travel on the Elizabeth Line (except when crossing London between Liverpool Street and Paddington on a ticket containing the Cross-London marker)
• Residential travel (i.e. using staff travel benefits for commuting to and from work) is not included.
• Free and discounted travel on Eurostar and other European carriers through the FIP scheme is also not included.

For information on the joining the scheme and any taxable benefit which may accrue, please email Network Rail Reward and Benefits team at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For further information please contact Rail Staff Travel at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The RST Online Leisure Card can only be used to purchase tickets for leisure travel.

This is classified as travelling for social/pleasure reasons. This means that it cannot be used to purchase tickets for travelling to work, school or college, etc and also cannot be used to purchase tickets to travel between work locations during the working day. ). If you are travelling to a place of work but going to the gym, shopping or socialising  before or after the journey is classed as a residential journey and cannot be considered as leisure travel.

It also cannot be used to purchase tickets for any other trading or other remunerative activity.

The use of staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for leisure travel is permitted for employees, spouse/partners and child dependants.

Leisure travel is delivered via the RST Online Leisure Card. The card must be kept as issued and not laminated or altered in anyway.

Holders of an RST Online Leisure card  can use it to purchase unlimited staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for leisure travel on all rail services in Great Britain except:

• Caledonian Sleeper
• Elizabeth Line
• Grand Central
• Hull Trains
• London Overground

All tickets must be purchased via RST Online only. Although RST Online will display fares for the above operators (as you may want to purchase full fare tickets for them) if you purchase priv-rate fares and travel on those operators that is deemed a travel irregularity.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets cannot be purchased from station ticket offices or on-board trains by holders of the RST Online Leisure Card.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets can only be used by the RST Online Leisure Card holder and cannot be given to anyone else to use for travel (except where the card is endorsed for travel with a companion) – they are not transferrable to any other person.

You must have the RST Online Leisure Card with you and available for inspection when travelling using staff-discounted (priv rate) tickets. If you cannot present the RST Online Leisure Card with any staff-discounted (priv rate) tickets, then the Train Operating Company will follow their revenue protection procedures and treat you as a passenger without a valid ticket.

If you travel without your RST Online Leisure Card and have to purchase public rate tickets, or pay a penalty fare, you cannot get this refunded.

Help for those who have difficulty travelling alone

Cardholders unable to travel alone and needing someone to travel with them can have their card endorsed to allow an attendant to travel with them on National Rail services. This provision does not extend to reciprocal carriers (i.e. ferries or heritage railways).

The cardholder must meet the eligibility criteria for a Disabled Persons Railcard (they do not have to purchase the Disabled Persons Railcard). 

The primary cardholder will need to provide proof of this to RST. Please submit the Attendant Request XX45 form and attach an image of the relevant proof. 

The attendant travelling with the cardholder must also purchase a priv discounted ticket.

Loss & Replacement of RST Online Leisure Cards

All losses, for any reason, must be reported to RST immediately, even if you are not going to order a replacement. If you do not and someone else is found using it, you will be liable for the misuse. A replacement fee is payable if cards are lost, damaged or destroyed.  The fee may be waived if loss is the result of theft, robbery or fire, subject to evidence of this being produced from the relevant police or fire service authorities. 

New cards are issued annually in November before the expiry date of the current cards. Post losses notified later than 31 December must be paid for. There are no exceptions to this rule as this is to support fraud prevention.

Likewise if you move house and do not let RST know your new address, and are unable to collect your cards/passes you will need to pay a replacement fee before replacements can be issued.

The replacement charge for each RST Online Leisure Card is published on the RST website:

To request a replacement card or pass, please submit one of these forms:

• Replacements of Lost or Damaged Cards (XX35) or
• Replacement of Faulty or Stolen Cards (XX34)

Joining Network Rail

When you start employment or opt into the scheme, Network Rail will notify Rail Staff Travel and provide us with your details if you have opted to receive an RST Online Leisure Card.

Once we have created your Rail Staff Travel record, you must upload a passport-style photo of you before we can issue your RST Online Leisure Card. www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/photo-upload.html

Once we have your information and photo, we will send your RST Online Leisure Card to your home address.

You will also receive an email with your one-time pass-code so you can register for RST Online. 

You can only buy tickets via RST Online once you have received your physical card in the post as you need to have this with you when you travel.

Opting out of the scheme

You should only apply for an RST Online Leisure Card if you intend to use it for the duration of its validity. 

If you do need to opt out due to personal circumstances then you can do this. However you will need to return all cards issued before charges cease.

Additionally, you will not be able to opt in again for twelve months.

To opt out you need to:

• email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. stating that you want to opt out. and
• Return all cards issued to RST. Cut each card into four, with the card number visible, and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Resignation, retirement, redundancy or dismissal

Your eligibility for rail staff travel facilities ceases when you leave employment with Network Rail, irrespective of the reason for leaving.

All RST Online Leisure Cards for you and all family members must be returned to Rail Staff Travel when you leave. Cut each card into four, with the card number visible, and email these to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you fail to do this and then join another company that offers rail staff travel, RST will not issue any new cards/passes until the RST Online Leisure cards expire or are returned.

Your access to your RST Online account will also be removed.

The full rules around eligibility of family members is covered by a specific guide on the RST website  www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/eligibility.html

Children under age 5 travel for free on most National Rail services. Staff travel facilities are not normally issued until a child reaches their 5^th birthday. However on request RST will issue national staff travel facilities once a child is over twelve months of age.  

Facilities for a couple, both employed in the rail industry (where one already receives some rail staff travel facilities)

If you already receive a Rail Staff Leisure Card or a Staff Travel Card through a partner or spouse that works in the industry it is better than you retain that one. This is because you may be eligible to a FIP card for reduced rate travel in Europe through them, but you are not eligible for this through this scheme. We recommend that you approach RST for specific guidance.

Leisure travel is delivered to holders of an RST Online Leisure Card.

It is not valid for travel on the Caledonian Sleeper, Hull Trains, Grand Central, London Overground, London Underground or Docklands Light Railway.

It is not valid for travel on the Elizabeth Line (except when crossing London between Liverpool Street and Paddington on a ticket containing the Cross-London marker)

You can use it to purchase unlimited staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for leisure travel only, subject to the Restrictions on Travel as documented above in section 2.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets can only be used by the RST Online Leisure Card holder and are not transferrable to any other person.

Staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets

Staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets are not valid on TfL Underground and DLR services in London except when the ticket shows the Cross-London Indicator (†), in which case it may be used on London Underground to cross London between the relevant London Terminal stations only.

Buying staff discounted (priv rate) tickets with the RST Online Leisure Card

The RST Online Leisure Card can only be used to buy tickets online through RST Online at www.railstafftravel.com

You can only access the service once you have been issued with a one-time passcode by Rail Staff Travel which will enable you to register and create your on-line account.

Rail Staff Travel will send your one-time passcode by e-mail once you have been issued with your RST Online Leisure Card. This is because you must have your RST Online Leisure card with you when you travel.

You can request family members have access to RST Online by submitting the RST Online – Request Access for Family Members (XX40) form which is here www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/forms.html#rstonline

RST Online offers journey planning facilities to enable you to find staff discounted and public fares, buy tickets and make seat reservations. You can collect the tickets bought through RST Online at a Ticket Vending Machine at a station, or you can have e-tickets sent to your registered e-mail address.

Although you can purchase tickets for all carriers, please remember that it is not valid for travel on the Caledonian Sleeper, Hull Trains, Grand Central, London Overground, London Underground or Docklands Light Railway.

It is also not valid for travel on the Elizabeth Line (except when crossing London between Liverpool Street and Paddington on a ticket containing the Cross-London marker)

Therefore, you must not purchase staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for services on which staff discounted (priv rate) tickets bought with the RST Online Leisure Card are not valid.

You can purchase a Rover or Ranger with a start date of between 7 and 14 days from the date of purchase. Rovers and Rangers are printed and posted to you by 1st class post. There is no other fulfilment option available.

Staff Travel Restrictions

The use of staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets is subject to Staff Travel Restrictions.

These are updated at least twice a year on the RST website at www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/where-can-i-go.html

It is the responsibility of the employee and their family member to ensure they do not travel in contravention of the Staff Travel Restrictions. It is not the responsibility of RST Online to prevent the sale of tickets on trains which are subject to the Staff Travel Restrictions.

Staff and family members must ensure priority is given to fare-paying passengers. They should, whenever possible, seek to travel on lightly loaded services. When this is not possible and travel is undertaken on a crowded train, they should stand back to allow fare-paying passengers to obtain seats.

Travelling on restricted services is a Travel Irregularity which will put your facilities at risk of withdrawal.

Class of Travel

The RST Online Leisure Card is for Standard Class staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets only.

Where a TOC offers Weekend First upgrades, RST Online Leisure Card holders with Standard Class staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets, may purchase the Weekend First upgrade (subject to availability) from staff on board the train at the public rate and travel in First Class accommodation.

A few TOCs also allow the purchase of upgrades for First Class using apps such as Seatfrog, however, not all of them allow this. If it is permitted, it will be documented in the Staff Travel Restrictions.

Apart from the exceptions above, you cannot pay the difference between Standard Class and First Class fares to travel in First Class accommodation.

Seat Reservations

When purchasing a staff discounted (priv-rate) ticket it is normally possible to make a seat reservation.

Some TOCs restrict staff from making seat reservations and the rules are in the Staff Travel Restrictions.

Travel to and from the Isle of Wight

There is no staff discounted (priv rate) available for the Wightlink ferry crossing between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head.

An alternative is available via Hovertravel (see below) from Southsea to Ryde.

Unavailability of tickets

In the event of a prolonged system outage of RST Online or any Rail Industry system which prevents all staff discounted (priv rate) online ticket purchase, Rail Staff Travel will arrange messaging for ticket office and on board staff to accept the RST Online Leisure Card on a temporary basis until the service is restored.

Rail Staff Travel is not liable for the unavailability of specific fares within RST Online.

There are no other circumstances under which you may purchase staff discounted (priv rate) tickets at stations or on-board trains. Rail Staff Travel, the Train Operating Companies and other retailers are not liable if you are unable to purchase staff discounted (priv rate) tickets through RST Online and you choose to purchase full price tickets from other sources.

Where operational staff believe a ticket has been purchased from a station or on a train when RST Online was working, they will report this to RST for further investigation.

Sleeper Services

Caledonian Sleeper

The RST Online Leisure Card is not valid for any travel on Caledonian Sleeper services.

Great Western Railway sleepers

Great Western operate the Night Riviera sleeper between London Paddington and Penzance.

Employees, spouse/partners and child dependants are eligible for staff travel on Great Western Railway Sleeper:

To travel you must purchase a staff discounted (priv-rate) ticket and pay the sleeping berth supplement.

The berth supplements are commercially priced so vary depending on forecast demand. The twin cabin cannot be shared with a stranger, so can only be booked if two passengers are travelling.  The prices are visible in RST Online when making bookings

There are no discounts on the berth supplements for any category of customer (Child / Railcard / PRIV etc.).

Travel Irregularities

Employees are responsible for the proper use of all rail staff travel facilities that are issued to themselves and their families. The Employee has absolute discretion as to whether they allow their spouse/partner and child dependant(s) to enjoy these facilities.

There are sanctions that are applied if any holder of an RST Online Leisure card whether employee, partner or dependant child, attempts to use it fraudulently or allows someone else to do so.

If a primary cardholder transgresses, the spouse/partner and all dependants also lose their facilities; if a spouse/partner or dependant child is at fault, then generally just that individual is subject to penalty.

Any person who is found to:

• improperly use any RST Online Leisure Card;
• improperly use any ticket purchased with the RST Online Leisure Card;
• transfer any card or ticket, or attempt to do so;

will be liable to prosecution, permanent withdrawal of rail staff travel facilities and, if an employee, possible dismissal.

Staff discounted (priv-rate) leisure tickets purchased with a RST Online Leisure Card are not valid for business, trading, duty or residential use (commuting to work or travel to educational establishments) by either employees, partners or dependant children. Where such cases are detected they will be treated as a travel irregularity.

There is more information in the Travel Irregularities document on the RST website www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/where-can-i-go.html

Complaints

If you have a problem using Rail Staff Travel facilities on TOC services, you should firstly raise the issue with the TOC concerned. Details of how to contact each TOC can be found on their websites.

If your complaint remains unresolved, then you should then raise your complaint with the Rail Ombudsman. www.railombudsman.org

If you have problems in the following areas, please contact Rail Staff Travel

• Using Travel facilities on non-TOC services, e.g. Leisure Railways
• The service provided to you by Rail Staff Travel

National Rail operators on which tickets are valid

When a franchised or concessionary operator is replaced by another franchised or concessionary operator, or any other operator appointed by the Department for Transport, rail staff travel facilities remain valid on the services provided by the new operator.

Open access operators on which tickets are valid

• Heathrow Express
  Lumo

Rail operators on which tickets are not valid

• Arriva Rail London (London Overground)
• Caledonian Sleeper
• Eurostar
• Grand Central
• Hull Trains
• London Underground (except when crossing London between London Terminal stations on a ticket containing the Cross-London marker (†))
• MTR Elizabeth Line (except when crossing London between Liverpool Street and Paddington on a ticket containing the Cross-London marker (†))

Light rail operators on which tickets are not valid

• Blackpool Tramway
• Docklands Light Railway
• Edinburgh Trams
• Glasgow Subway
• London Tramlink
• Manchester Metrolink
• Nottingham Express Transit
• Sheffield Supertram
• Tyne and Wear Metro
• West Midlands Metro

Travel facilities are granted to employees, spouse/partners and child dependants on some other transport undertakings as indicated below. They are offered to those who hold an RST Online Leisure Card.

Rail

West Coast Railway Company

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are available on all services directly operated by West Coast Railway Company including the Jacobite, The Dalesman, the Scarborough Express etc.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are not available on other operators services which West Coast Railway provide motive power or rolling stock for.

WCRC booking details: Standard class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets - direct from WCRC. Telephone: 01524 732100. First class tickets (public rate only). Website.

Heritage Railways (generally not on the National Rail network)

If you want to travel on the services below, you will need to purchase your staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets direct from the operator. Please note that staff discounted (priv-rate) travel is generally not available on special event days. You should check with the railway to ensure that staff discounted (priv-rate) travel is available.

Tickets are obtained by presentation of the RST Online Leisure Card at the heritage railways booking office.

Shipping

Hovertravel

Staff discounted (priv-rate) fares for leisure travel are available on Hovertravel services between Southsea and Ryde.

Through fares are available from many (but not all) mainland stations via Hovertravel to stations on the Isle of Wight.

Holders of the RST Online Leisure Card can also purchase Staff discounted (priv-rate) fares at the Hovertravel terminal at either Southsea or Ryde. Hovertravel operate a connecting bus between Portsmouth and Southsea station and Southsea Hovertravel terminal. If you intend to purchase a staff discounted (priv-rate) fare at Southsea Hovertravel terminal you can present your Card on board the bus at Portsmouth and Southsea station for free transfer. Alternatively you can purchase your priv rate ticket at the Portsmouth Hard Exchange travel centre.

Luton Airport

Staff discounted (priv-rate) tickets may be purchased to Luton Airport. These include travel on Luton DART from Luton Airport Parkway to Luton Airport.

The RST Online Leisure Card is not valid for staff discounted (priv-rate) travel on London Overground, Elizabeth Line, London Underground, Dockland Light Railway, bus and river services.

The only exception to this is except where the ticket shows the Cross-London Indicator (†), in which case it may be used on London Underground services only to cross London between the relevant London Terminal stations only and the Elizabeth Line between Liverpool Street and Paddington only.

The RST Online Leisure Card is not valid for staff discounted (priv-rate) travel on Eurostar or any European rail or shipping carrier.

The scheme does not include the staff travel benefits provided by the FIP organisation.

This is a guide to the National and International rail staff travel facilities granted to Active and Retired Safeguarded Employees who joined the rail industry on or before 31 March 1996 and their eligible dependents (including Widows and Widowers), and whose eligibility to facilities is defined in the ATOC Staff Travel Scheme.

TOC Employees who joined the rail industry after 31 March 1996 should refer to the guide Rail Staff Travel Guide for holders of the Rail Staff Leisure Card.

This guide will give you an overview of the benefits you might enjoy. It is not a legally binding document.

TOC or group concessions available through specific TOC employers are outside the scope of this Guide.

Use of travel facilities is subject at all times to the:

• Rail Staff Travel Conditions of Issue and Use 
• National Rail Conditions of Travel 
• Travel Restrictions (updated a minimum of twice a year) 

If you are still employed by an organisation sold-off by British Rail before it was privatised in March 1996, the details in this guide may not apply to you in every respect. If you retired from the service of earlier privatised railway organisations (e.g. NFC, Travellers Fare, British Transport Hotels, BREL) you may have slightly different benefits.

You can get further information from Rail Staff Travel by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The purpose of your journey determines which type of rail staff travel facility you can use.

However, there are some services on which Staff Travel facilities are not valid. See the section on Staff Travel Restrictions later in this document.

Leisure Travel

This is classified as travelling for social/pleasure reasons (as long as it does not fall within the Residential Travel or Duty Travel categories or involves trading or other remunerative activity). If you are travelling to a place of work but going to the gym, shopping or socialising  before or after the journey is classed as a residential journey and cannot be considered as leisure travel.

The use of Status Passes, Staff Travel Card Boxes and staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for Leisure Travel is permitted.

Residential Travel (i.e. commuting)

This is classified as travelling from your permanent place of residence to your permanent place of regular employment (i.e. your office, depot or station) or education (i.e. a university, college or school), i.e. commuting.

An employee can have only one place of regular employment and a child dependent one place of regular education. Spouses/partners are not eligible for any residential travel.

Dependent children who earn under the weekly threshold may not use Priv Season Tickets for commuting to work. These are only available for commuting to a place of education. If the child is in work, you should check whether they are still eligible for rail staff travel facilities.

Where dependent children attend an educational establishment on a full-time basis for school or advanced education and live away from the family home in term time accommodation, then travel between the term time accommodation and the school/university/college is considered residential travel. Occasional travel between the family home and the term time accommodation (i.e. at the start and end of term, at weekends or occasionally mid-week) is considered leisure travel.

Priv season tickets for Residential Travel are only for employees, and child dependents. They can only be purchased once Rail Staff Travel have authorised the application.

The use of Staff Travel Card boxes and single/return staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for Residential Travel is not permitted for employees, partners or child dependents.

The use of Status Passes for residential travel is only permitted where the Status Pass explicitly states that it can be used for residential travel and this is always for an active employee only.

Duty Travel

Duty Travel is travelling as required by your employment or employer during the working day. This includes attending training events and meetings. For clarity only employees are eligible for duty travel.

The use of Status Passes, Staff Travel Card Boxes and Priv tickets for Duty Travel is not permitted for either employees, partners or child dependents.

Notes

Dependents generally receive the same leisure-only National benefits as the employee (not necessarily the same on international services).

There can be further differences to eligibility depending on grade, employer and/or length of service.

The Rail Staff Travel products available to safeguarded staff are:

Staff Travel Card

Leisure travel is delivered via the Staff Travel Card. You can use it to purchase unlimited staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for leisure travel.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets can only be used by the Staff Travel Card holder and are not transferrable to any other person.

If you have an allocation of free travel, this is delivered through the date boxes on the Staff Travel Card. You must date a box in permanent pen before you travel. Each dated box is valid for that day and the following day.

Photo ID card for Staff Travel Card

Until March 2026

• Photo ID is a mandatory requirement for all active employees, their partner and child dependents aged 16 or over to support a Staff Travel Card.
• A Photo ID is not required by any retired employee, or any of their dependents; or anyone aged 15 or under.

From April 2026

• Photo ID is a mandatory requirement for all active employees, their partner and child dependents to support a Staff Travel Card.
• A Photo ID is optional for retired employees, or any of their dependents.

Valid forms of Photo ID to support the Staff Travel Card are:

• A TOC specific smartcard which contains your photograph, your forename and your surname, or;
• The RST Photo ID card obtainable from RSTL.
• A Photo ID card issued at a National Rail station ticket office (providing the image remains an accurate representation of the holder).

To obtain a RST Photo Identity card, please submit the Employee RST Photocard ID (XX43) form or the Dependent RST Photocard ID (XX44) form: www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/forms.html#card

Help for those who have difficulty travelling alone

Cardholders unable to travel alone and needing someone to travel with them can have their card endorsed to allow an attendant to travel with them on National Rail services. This provision does not extend to reciprocal carriers (i.e. ferries or heritage railways), London Underground or any TOC or group issued cards/passes. It also does not apply to FIP cards or coupons.

The cardholder must meet the eligibility criteria for a Disabled Persons Railcard (they do not have to purchase the Disabled Persons Railcard). 

The primary cardholder will need to provide proof of this to RST. Please submit the Attendant Request XX45 form and attach an image of the relevant proof. 

If the cardholder is travelling on a Status Pass or with a dated box on a Staff Travel Card, then the attendant travelling with them also uses this facility. If the card holder is travelling on a priv discounted ticket, then the attendant travelling with them must also purchase a priv discounted ticket.

Residential passes and staff discounted (priv rate) season tickets

Residential Travel (i.e. commuting to and from work) is delivered through a Reduced Rate Season Ticket, Reduced Rate Flexi-Season Ticket or a Residential Pass

Obtaining a Residential pass or staff discounted (priv rate) season ticket/Flexi-Season Ticket

Employees must apply to Rail Staff Travel for an authority to purchase a staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket using the Employee Residential Travel (XX01) form or Employee Priv-rate Flexi Season (XX32) available at

www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/forms.html#resi

If the journey meets the criteria for a Residential Pass, this will be issued by Rail Staff Travel.

If the journey meets the criteria for a staff discounted (priv rate) season ticket, Rail Staff Travel will authorise the journey. Depending on the fulfilment method selected either:

• an authority to purchase the staff discounted (priv rate) season ticket will be sent to the employee to hand in at the ticket office when buying the ticket Or
• the employees RST Online account will be updated to enable the purchase of the requested Season Ticket. The employee will need to already hold an RST Season Ticket Smartcard.

Employees who choose to purchase their season ticket at the station will need to apply to RST for an authorisation form for each season ticket they buy.

Employees who choose to purchase their season ticket from RST Online will have continuous authority to purchase consecutive season tickets or flexi-season tickets for their journey providing their home address and work location remain unchanged. This means there is no need to re-apply when you wish to purchase a season ticket for the same journey.

Flexi Seasons are not available for all rail journeys. This includes journeys entirely within the Scotrail network, the Transport for Wales network, the MerseyRail travel area or the London Fare Zones Area.

Refunds of staff discounted (priv rate) season or flexi-season tickets

For tickets bought at stations, the employee must submit the season ticket to Rail Staff Travel to authorise the refund and complete Refund Form XX11. Rail Staff Travel will accept a photo of the Season Ticket cut into four pieces and a photo taken and emailed to Rail Staff Travel. You must also include an image of the ticket before you cut it up so all details can be viewed.

Rail Staff Travel will then either arrange the refund if the ticket was purchased via RST Online or send the ticket to the appropriate department within the Train Operating Company to process the refund.

For tickets bought through RST Online, the employee can submit the refund request in the ‘Your Account’ section of RST Online.

Photo ID card for staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket

Photo ID is a mandatory requirement for all employees and child dependents (including those under age 16) to support the use of a Priv Rate paper Season Ticket.

For employees who hold an RST Season Ticket Smartcard and have their Season Ticket loaded onto it, no further Photo ID is required.

For those with a paper ticket, the valid form of Photo ID to support the staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket is the RST Photo ID.

To obtain a RST Photocard, please submit the Employee RST Photocard ID (XX43) form: www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/forms.html#card

Please note that in very limited circumstances a spouse/partner may be eligible for a staff discounted (priv rate) Season ticket. Please contact Rail Staff Travel for more information.

Status Passes

Status passes are issued by Rail Staff Travel based on employment criteria and their issue must be requested by an employer.

FIP International Reduced Rate Card

See the later section in on Foreign Undertakings for more information.

International FIP coupons

See the later section on Foreign Undertakings for more information.

Loss & Replacement of Staff Travel Cards or Passes

All losses, for any reason, must be reported to RST immediately, even if you are not going to order a replacement. If you do not and someone else is found using it, you will be liable for the misuse. A replacement fee is payable if cards are lost, damaged or destroyed. The fee may be waived if loss is the result of theft, robbery or fire, subject to evidence of this being produced from the relevant police or fire service authorities.

Postal losses notified later than one month after the expiry date of the previous card or pass will not be replaced free of charge but must be paid for as if lost by the holder. There are no exceptions to this rule as this is to support fraud prevention.

Likewise if you move and do not let RST know your new address, and are unable to collect your cards/passes you will need to pay a replacement fee before replacements can be issued.

The replacement charges are published here www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/useful-information.html

The first time in a travel year that you request a replacement Staff Travel Card, the boxes are re-allocated on a pro-rata basis. This also applies to free replacements as a result of postal non-delivery. The pro-rata calculation will be explained when the loss is reported.

For a second replacement in the same travel year, no free travel is re-allocated, i.e. all the boxes will be crossed through and the replacement card will only allow privilege rate travel.

To request a replacement card or pass, please submit either:

• Replacement of Lost or Damaged Cards (XX35)
• Replacement of Faulty or Stolen Cards (XX34)

on the Forms page at www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/forms.html.

Mobility

For active employees, in some circumstances only, you can move between employers and retain rail staff travel benefits. Please be aware that just because a company works in the rail industry it does not mean that they can offer rail staff travel.

You should contact RST before you move to check if there will be any impact on your Rail Staff Travel facilities. Please note that when you start a new job, your eligibility to rail staff travel will be based on the grade and salary of the new job, so you may not be able to retain the same level of travel.

Please note that you can only have one set of national rail staff travel facilities.

Leavers

Your eligibility for continued rail staff travel facilities after you leave railway employment depends on your status when you were working, and the reason for leaving.

Generally speaking, though, for current Active staff the following holds true:

Returning to work after retirement/redundancy

For active employees, in some circumstances you can return to work in the rail industry and receive active travel benefits again. Please contact RST if you have any queries about this as it is dependent on who you work for.

Spouse/Partners and child dependents

Full details of the eligibility of family members is in a separate guide  www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/eligibility.html

Children under age 5 travel for free on most National Rail services. Staff travel facilities are not normally issued until a child reaches their 5^th birthday. However on request RST will issue national staff travel facilities once a child is over twelve months of age. FIP cards are issued to children aged 4 and over on request, providing the employee holds an active FIP card.

Facilities for a couple, both employed in the rail industry

As a general rule, upon becoming an “employed couple”, you can opt for leisure travel in your own right, or as a partner. This must apply to both National and International leisure travel. You can however retain residential travel and your TOC specific travel offered by your employer separately as an Employee, even if you take your leisure travel through your partner.

European (FIP) travel must align with your national travel facilities, as opposed to TOC-specific, eligibility.

We recommend that you approach RST for specific guidance if you are unsure.

Likewise children of employees who both work in the railway are only eligible for one set of National rail staff travel facilities.

Active & Retired Staff and Dependents, Leisure Travel

Free Leisure Travel

The Staff Travel Card delivers both free and discounted leisure travel. Both the free and discounted leisure travel is subject to the Restrictions on Travel as documented in section 2.

If you are eligible for a certain number of free journeys, these are shown by a series of boxes on your Staff Travel Card. Any boxes that are crossed out when the card is issued cannot be used for free travel.

The annual quota of free travel granted to full-time Active and Retired Employees for leisure purposes on National Rail is as follows:

The same quota of free travel is granted to eligible partners and dependent children.

Before commencing a free journey, you must enter the day and month of the journey in permanent ink in the first (or next available) box (which is divided into two sections on the card marked as “DAY” and “MTH”).

Failure to use 2 digits in each box is a Travel Irregularity.

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. Failure to comply will be treated as a Travel Irregularity.

Staff Travel Cards are valid for 15 months from 1 April to 30 June of the following year. New cards are sent out directly to home addresses towards the end of March each year. If you wish to use boxes from 1 April to 30 June, either the old or the new card can be used. Only the new card can be used from 1 July. On a card that is expiring on the 30 June you cannot date a box for 30 June and travel on 1 July.

Dated boxes for free travel on a Staff Travel Card must not be used for business, trading, duty or residential (commuting to work or travel to educational establishments).

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets

You can also purchase staff discounted (priv rate) tickets on production of the Staff Travel Card.

Unless your Staff Travel Card is endorsed with 11, Priv-rate travel facilities are available also on London Underground services.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets purchased with a Staff Travel Card must not be used for business, trading, duty or residential (commuting to work or travel to educational establishments).

Child flat fare when travelling with retired employees aged 60 or over

Retired staff, spouses/partners of retired staff, widow(er)s of active or retired staff may purchase tickets for up to four children aged 5 to 15 who are travelling with them (Standard accommodation only) at the flat rate applicable - currently £4.00. These tickets can be obtained at National Rail station ticket offices on presentation of a retired Staff Travel Card and proof of age of the employee or spouse/partner, or via your RST Online account. (The discount cannot be obtained on presentation of a Blue, Silver or Gold Status Pass).

When travelling with children on flat fare tickets, the employee or spouse/partner must have their retired Staff Travel Card and suitable proof of age (to confirm you are aged 60 or over) with them at all times.

(The section on Sleeper services has more information on the applicability of this facility).

Staff Travel Restrictions and complimentary refreshments

The use of all Staff Travel Cards, passes, staff discounted (priv rate) tickets and staff discounted (priv rate) Season Tickets is subject to Staff Travel Restrictions on rail services. These are updated at least twice per year. The restrictions may vary for active or retired employees.

It is the responsibility of the employee and their family member to ensure they do not travel in contravention of the Staff Travel Restrictions. It is not the responsibility of RST Online or any ticket office or ticket clerk to know whether or not the train you wish to travel on is subject to the Staff Travel Restrictions.

Travelling on restricted services will be treated as a Travel Irregularity.

Train operators have restrictions on the acceptance of complimentary refreshments by holders of rail staff travel facilities.

As ticket inspection and refreshment service may be carried out by different on-board staff, those providing complimentary refreshments may not know that you are travelling using Rail Staff Travel facilities.

You must refuse refreshments when offered, unless the Staff Travel Restrictions document specifically allows you to accept them.

Class of Travel

If you hold a STD class Staff Travel Card, then you may only buy Standard Class Priv rate tickets and travel in Standard Class.

Where a TOC offers Weekend First upgrades, Staff Travel Card holders with Standard Class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets may purchase the Weekend First upgrade at the public rate and travel in First Class accommodation.

A few TOCs may allow the purchase of upgrades for First Class using smartphone apps such as Seatfrog, however, not all of them allow this. If it is permitted, it will be documented in the Staff Travel Restrictions.

Apart from the exceptions above, you cannot pay the difference between Standard Class and First Class fares to travel in First Class accommodation.

If you hold a 1st Class Staff Travel Card, then you may buy either Standard or First Class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets. If you buy Standard Class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets, then you may only travel in Standard Class accommodation.

Seat Reservations

When purchasing a staff discounted (priv rate) ticket it is normally possible to make a seat reservation where available. Seat reservations are available via RST Online either as part of a ticket purchase or separately if travelling with a dated Staff Travel Card or Status Pass. Some TOCs restrict staff from making seat reservations and the rules are in the Staff Travel Restrictions.

How to buy a staff discounted (priv rate) ticket, and what to do if this is not possible

You can purchase tickets online through your RST Online account. If you need details on how to do this contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Where the station has a staffed ticket office, you must purchase a valid ticket before you start a journey, irrespective of the length of queue or wait time.

If you are travelling from a station within a Penalty Fare area, then you must obtain a permit to travel at the public rate in accordance with the Penalty Fare instructions displayed at the station.

If you board a train from a station with an open ticket office and have no ticket, or from a station in a Penalty Fare area and you haven’t obtained a ‘promise to pay’ ticket, the train operator is within their right to refuse to sell you a Priv-rate ticket and report it as a Travel Irregularity.

Only if the ticket office is closed, and there is no local ‘promise to pay’ in use, can you buy a Priv-rate ticket on board a train. You must actively seek out staff on-board the train, have your fare ready and offer to pay it at the first available opportunity. By offering to pay there can be no question that you are trying to travel without paying.

If you don’t actively offer to pay, then you may be accused of fare avoidance, and risk committing a Travel Irregularity. (See the separate section on Travel Irregularities for the consequences).

Active Staff, Residential Travel (Commuting)

Residential travel can only be granted from the station nearest to your home address and the station nearest your permanent work location.

If your permanent work location is within the London and South East allowance area, you are granted up to 40 miles of free residential rail travel. If your permanent work location is outside that area, the allowance is for 8 miles of free residential rail travel. A Residential Pass between specific stations is issued for this purpose.

If your residential journey exceeds these limits, a Residential Pass cannot be issued. Instead, RST will authorise a Privilege Season Ticket at one quarter of the standard rate, less a further financial allowance for the relevant free travel element as mentioned above. The free travel element is not available on Flexi Season Tickets. For more information see section ‘Obtaining a Residential pass or staff discounted (priv rate) season ticket.’

A Staff Travel Card cannot be used to buy a staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket or daily tickets for travel to work or school/college.

Residential Passes and Privilege Season Tickets may also be used for leisure travel on the route specified.

Retired Safeguarded Employees who are issued with retired rail staff travel cards/passes are not eligible for Residential Travel

Other additional facilities for more senior Active and Retired Employees

If you are classed at the former BR management grade of MS2 or MS3 you are eligible for an unlimited mileage Residential Pass (standard class) from your residential station to your permanent place of work, regardless of the mileage involved. Apply on Employee Residential Travel Form (XX01).

If your employer confirms with RST that you are management grade MS4 or above you may be granted unlimited First Class travel in the form of a Status Pass.

Even if you are eligible for 1st class travel by reason of grade and salary level, a Status Pass cannot be issued unless there is a spare one within an employer’s quota.

Status passes issued to Active employees allow unlimited free leisure and residential (but not duty) travel, in 1st class, either across the network or on a regional basis only. There are 3 levels: Gold, Silver and Blue. The separate quotas of Gold and Silver Active passes allocated to each Scheme Employer (including TOCs) was set at privatisation and cannot be exceeded. Blue passes are the regional ones and may have been issued at 1st or STD class depending on qualification date. These are not quota-controlled, but no new employees can become eligible for them.

• Status Passes for Active Employees may be used for Leisure and Residential purposes.
• Status Passes for Retired Employees and Dependents of Active and Retired Employees may only use the Status Pass for Leisure and educational purposes.

The level of Active Status Pass held at retirement will normally be maintained for the Retired Status Pass. Photos for Status Passes can be uploaded online.

Gold Status Passes

Gold passes provide unlimited free leisure and residential (but not duty) travel on:

• National rail network
• Some inter-available TfL rail services
• Sleeping berths
• Selected Caledonian MacBrayne Clyde services (routes 13-15 only as outlined in the Caledonian MacBrayne section of this guide)

Gold Status Passes may be granted to:

• Active or Retired Employees graded EG4 or above,
• All eligible Dependents

Gold Status Passes are not valid for travel on Wightlink services. Where an employee entered service prior to 1 April 1985 and has a Staff Travel Card with endorsement NIL, 2 or 3, then it is the Staff Travel Card which provides travel facilities on Wightlink services.

Silver Status Passes

Silver passes provide unlimited free leisure and residential (but not duty) travel on:

• National rail network
• Some inter-available TfL rail services

Silver passes may be granted to:

• Active or Retired Employees graded MS4 or above.
• Spouses/partners, or widow(ers) or children of staff graded EG1

Silver Status Passes are not valid for travel on Wightlink services. Where an employee entered service prior to 1 April 1985 and has a Staff Travel Card with endorsement NIL, 2 or 3, then it is the Staff Travel Card which provides travel facilities on Wightlink services.

Blue Status Passes

Blue status passes provide unlimited free leisure and residential (but not duty) travel on:

• National rail services in the region for which the pass is issued and in the class shown
• Some inter-available TfL rail services in the region for which the pass is issued

Blue Status Passes must not be used as a gate pass in areas in which they are not valid for travel when travelling with other facilities such as dated Staff Travel Card boxes or staff discounted (priv rate) tickets.

Blue Status Passes are not valid for travel on Wightlink services. Where an employee entered service prior to 1 April 1985 and has a Staff Travel Card with endorsement NIL, 2 or 3, then it is the Staff Travel Card which provides travel facilities on Wightlink services.

Blue Status Pass Regions

As well as the availability detailed below, Blue status passes are valid on through services which operate from a station within their own Region, into a neighbouring Region and then back into their own Region, on condition that the holder does not alight at any point within the neighbouring Region in question.

Maps depicting availability are online at www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/where-can-i-go.html

BP1        Eastern Region

Between all stations on the former Eastern and Anglia Regions and on Tyne and Wear Metro Services (unless specified otherwise). The boundary stations are:

BP1.1     With the former London Midland Region:

Carlisle, Skipton, Burnley Manchester Road (via Hebden Bridge only), Manchester (via Hebden Bridge, Marsden or Dore only), Chesterfield, Nottingham (via Mansfield only), Newark Castle, Aslockton, Stamford, Crouch Hill, Wapping.

BP1.2     With the former Scottish Region:

Berwick-upon-Tweed, Carlisle.

Available also on the following LU services:

BP1.3     Metropolitan and District Lines:

• Moorgate to Kings Cross.
• Tower Hill to Upminster, but not to alight/board between Tower Hill and Bow Road.

BP1.4     Northern Line:

Kings Cross to Mill Hill East or High Barnet via Archway, but not to alight/board between Kings Cross and Highgate.

BP1.5     Central Line:

Liverpool Street to Epping or Hainault, via Woodford or Newbury Park, but not to alight/board between Liverpool Street and Stratford.

BP1.5     Piccadilly Line:

Finsbury Park to Kings Cross but not for alighting/boarding in between.

BP1.6     Victoria Line:

Finsbury Park or Highbury & Islington to Kings Cross.

BP1.7     Docklands Light Railway:

Tower Gateway to Limehouse.

BP2        London Midland Region

Between all stations on the former London Midland Region. The boundary stations are:

BP2.1    With the former Eastern and Anglia Regions:

Carlisle, Skipton, Halifax (via Hebden Br only), Huddersfield (via Marsden only), Sheffield (via Dore only), Chesterfield, Worksop (via Mansfield only), Newark Castle, Aslockton, Stamford, Crouch Hill, Wapping.

BP2.2     With the former Scottish Region:

Carlisle.

BP2.3     With the former Western Region:

Craven Arms, Worcester (via Hartlebury or Barnt Green only), Banbury, Kensington Olympia.

BP2.4     With the former Southern Region:

Kensington Olympia, Farringdon, South Acton.

Available also on the former Southern Region between Gunnersbury and Richmond, and on Chiltern Line services if specified.

Available also on the following TfL LU services:

BP2.5     Metropolitan and District Lines:

• Moorgate to Kings Cross.
• If endorsed for Chiltern availability available between Baker Street and Watford, Chesham or Amersham, but not to alight/board between Baker Street and Harrow-on-the-Hill.
• Earl’s Court to Kensington Olympia.

BP2.6     Bakerloo Line:

Paddington to Harrow & Wealdstone.

BP3        Scottish Region

Between all stations on the former Scottish Region and on the Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd. Clyde Services listed in 7.1.2. (if specified). The boundary stations are:

BP3.1     With the former Eastern and Anglia Regions:

Berwick-upon-Tweed, Carlisle.

BP3.2     With the former London Midland Region:

Carlisle.

BP4        Southern Region

Between all stations on the former Southern Region. The boundary stations are:

BP4.1     With the former Western Region:

Reading, Westbury (via Warminster only), Yeovil Junction (via Sherborne only), Kensington Olympia, Dorchester West.

BP4.2     With the former London Midland Region:

Kensington Olympia, Farringdon, South Acton.

Available also on the following London Overground services:

BP4.3     To Dalston Junction (replacing the former Metropolitan & District LU services between Shoreditch and New Cross/New Cross Gate

Available also on the following TfL LU services:

BP4.4     Metropolitan and District Lines:

• Putney Bridge to Wimbledon.
• Turnham Green to Richmond.

BP4.5     Waterloo and City Line:

Waterloo to Bank.

BP5        Western Region

Between all stations on the former Western Region. The boundary stations are:

BP5.1     With the former London Midland Region:

Craven Arms, Birmingham New Street (via Barnt Green / Hartlebury only), Banbury, Kensington Olympia.

BP5.2     With the former Southern Region:

Reading, Salisbury (via Warminster or Sherborne only), Kensington Olympia, Weymouth (via Dorchester West only).

Available also on the following TfL LU services:

BP5.3     Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and District & Circle Lines:

• Paddington to Notting Hill Gate - Circle Line, for through journeys between Paddington and East Acton or westwards but not to alight/board in between or at Notting Hill Gate.
• Paddington (Suburban) to Hammersmith (H&C).
• Earl’s Court to Kensington Olympia.
• Baker Street to Watford, Chesham or Amersham, but not for alighting/boarding between Baker Street and Harrow-on-the-Hill.

BP5.4     Central Line:

Ealing Broadway or West Ruislip to White City and in the case of through journeys between East Acton or westwards and Paddington; also between White City and Notting Hill Gate, but not to alight/board between White City and Notting Hill Gate or at Notting Hill Gate.

Sleeper Services

Active and Retired Safeguarded Employees and their eligible spouse/partners and child dependents (including Widow/ers) are eligible for rail staff travel on Caledonian Sleeper and Great Western Railway Sleeper:

Caledonian Sleeper

On Caledonian Sleeper services between Euston and destinations in Scotland there are two options available for staff discounted travel:

1. 75% discount off the public fare (single only), inclusive of travel and room accommodation (Solo or Twin Accommodation), on presentation of a Staff Travel Card (no need to date a box). Reduced fares are subject to availability and can be purchased in advance from a National Rail station or via RST Online.
2. Purchase a staff discounted (priv rate) Any time or Off Peak ticket or date a box on your Staff Travel Card or use your Silver Status Pass and pay the room supplement. There is no discount on the room supplement. Room supplements can be booked online at sleeper.scot or via RST Online

Please note that option 1 is usually cheaper. These fares are called Classic Solo or Classic Twin (for standard class Rail Staff Leisure Card holders) and Club Solo or Club Twin (for first class Rail Staff Leisure Card holders). The image below provides an example of how this appears in RST Online.

Due to limitations in the National Reservation System, if travelling using free facilities (Staff Travel Card dated box or status pass), then berth reservations cannot be made more than 90 days in advance. (This period may be reduced if the service has limited stock available).

Due to the nature of Caledonian Sleeper, there is a finite number of rooms available. In the event of service disruption where the number of rooms operating is reduced, those already booked may be asked to move to alternate services / dates. This is a general policy which applies to all ticket holders and is not specific to those using Staff Travel facilities

Holders of Standard Class facilities may only travel in Classic accommodation. Holders of Standard Class facilities must pay the full public rate if they wish to travel in Club Class.

Holders of 1st Class facilities are eligible for discounted travel in either Club or Classic accommodation.

There are no staff discounted rates on travel in Caledonian Doubles.

There is no free or discounted travel in the overnight seated accommodation. Rail staff may use either Free or discounted travel on daytime legs between Kingussie – Inverness, Edinburgh – Fort William and Fort William – Edinburgh. Reservations are mandatory but this can only be made up to 7 days before travel. This applies to all travel facilities including 75% discounted tickets, season tickets or residential passes.

Caledonian Sleeper has agreed an easement on the 22:00 hrs time rule and will accept Staff Travel Cards which are dated for the date of arrival in destination, providing the customer has a room reservation for a journey which ends on the date entered on the Staff Travel Card.

Travelling with a Gold Status Pass

If you have a Gold Status Pass endorsed ‘All Stations and in Sleeping Berths’ this allows free travel on the Caledonian Sleeper and does not require payment of the room supplement. However, there are a limited number of places. Once this allocation of free travel places is exhausted, Gold Status Pass holders may still purchase 75% discounted tickets.

You can book this via your RST Online account, Guest Services on 0330 060 0500 or a National Rail station.

Travelling with children on Caledonian Sleeper

There are three options for travelling with children.

1. 75% discount off the public fare inclusive of travel and room accommodation on presentation of a Staff Travel Card (no need to date a box). You need to request a ‘Solo Room with free child’ ticket and the child effectively travels for free. Reduced fares are subject to availability and can be purchased in advance from a National Rail station.
2. Adult dates a box and child dates a box (if they have facilities). You would then need to purchase a ‘twin room supplement’ to cover your accommodation. Room supplements can be booked online at sleeper.scot
3. Retired employees travelling with children who do not have rail staff travel facilities can date a box and purchase a child £4.00 Anytime or Off-Peak fare. You would then need to purchase a ‘twin room supplement’ to cover your accommodation. Room supplements can be booked online at sleeper.scot

Option one is usually the cheapest.

If there are more children travelling than adults with rail staff travel facilities, then an additional room will have to be purchased at the staff discounted (priv rate) adult rate.

Great Western Railway sleepers

Great Western Railway operate the Night Riviera sleeper between London Paddington and Penzance.

To travel you must:

• purchase a staff discounted (priv rate) ticket and pay the sleeping berth supplement, or;
• date a box on your Staff Travel Card and pay the sleeping berth supplement, or;
• hold a Western Region Blue Status Pass or Silver Status Pass and pay the sleeping berth supplement, or;
• hold a Gold Status Pass endorsed “All Stations and in Sleeping Berths” and book a free berth supplement at a GWR managed station ticket office or via RST Online.

Where the Night Riviera sleeper service departs before 22:00 hrs, GWR has agreed an easement on the 22:00 hrs time rule and will accept Staff Travel Cards which are dated for the following day, providing the customer has a berth reservation for a journey which ends on the date entered on the Staff Travel Card. [2]

Great Western Railway do offer the £4.00 flat fare for children travelling with retired Staff Travel Card holders aged 60+, but the £4.00 flat fare only applies to the travel ticket. Children must also pay the sleeper berth supplement.

The berth supplements are commercially priced so vary depending on forecast demand. The twin cabin cannot be shared with a stranger, so can only be booked if two passengers are travelling. The prices are visible in RST Online when making bookings or available at any National Rail station ticket office.

There are no discounts on the berth supplements for any category of customer (Child / Railcard / PRIV etc.).

Free or staff discounted (priv rate) tickets may be used in the seated accommodation, but seat reservations are strongly recommended.

Train delays and service disruption

When employees using their national leisure or residential travel concessions are subject to train delays and service disruptions, they should be dealt with no less favourably than the public insofar as the provision of alternative transport, overnight accommodation or compensation (based on actual fare paid if appropriate) is concerned.

Employees should apply for ‘Delay/Repay’ on the website of the TOC they were travelling on.

Travel Irregularities

Employees are responsible for the proper use of all rail staff travel facilities that are issued to themselves and their families.

The employee has absolute discretion as to whether they allow their spouse/partner and child dependent(s) to enjoy these facilities.

The Scheme sets out the sanctions that are applied if any holder of any National or International rail staff travel facility, whether employee, spouse/partner or child dependent, attempts to use it fraudulently or allows someone else to do so.

Generally, if a primary cardholder transgresses, the spouse/partner and all dependents also lose their facilities; if a spouse/partner or child dependent is at fault, then generally just that individual is subject to penalty.

Any person who is found to:

• improperly use any Staff Travel Card, Status Pass, Residential Pass
• improperly use any ticket/pass issued by or on behalf of a TOC or Group
• transfer or any card, ticket or pass, or attempts to do so,
• will be liable to prosecution, permanent withdrawal of rail staff travel facilities and, if an employee, possible dismissal.

Dated Staff Travel Card boxes and staff discounted (priv rate) leisure tickets are not valid for business, trading, duty or residential use (commuting to work or travel to educational establishments) by either active or retired employees, partners or dependent children. Where such cases are detected they will be treated as a travel irregularity.

There is more information on the Travel Irregularities page.

Complaints

If you have a problem using travel facilities on TOC services, you should firstly raise the issue with the TOC concerned. Details of how to contact each TOC can be found on their website.

If your complaint remains unresolved, then you should then raise your complaint with the Rail Ombudsman. 

If you have problems in the following areas, please contact Rail Staff Travel

• Using Travel facilities on non-TOC services, e.g. Leisure Railways
• The service provided to you by Rail Staff Travel
• Using FIP Rail Staff Travel facilities in Europe

[1] Each dated box allows free travel on that day, and up to midnight on the following day. During this two day period, travel does not have to be continuous: any number of broken journeys may be undertaken. Travel is also permitted from 22h00 on the preceding day if making an overnight (i.e. sleeper) journey.

Rail Staff Travel facilities are valid on the services of the following franchised and concessionary National Rail train operating companies in Great Britain.

When a franchised or concessionary operator is replaced by another franchised or concessionary operator, or any other operator appointed by the Department for Transport, rail staff travel facilities remain valid on the services provided by the new operator.

Rail Staff Travel facilities are valid on the services of the following open access National Rail train operating companies.

• Grand Central
  Heathrow Express
  Hull Trains
  Lumo

Travel facilities are granted to Active and Retired employees, spouse/partners and child dependents on other undertakings indicated below.

Unless otherwise stated, only reduced rate leisure travel is available.

Rail

Eurostar

There are two options for Safeguarded staff and their family members who hold a Staff Travel Card and/or FIP card to purchase discounted tickets:

• Using a Staff Travel Card (unless it has endorsement 5, 6 or 11 when it is not valid on Eurostar). You do not have to date a box.
• Using a FIP International Reduced Rate Card.

The FIP International Reduced Rate Card or Staff Travel Card used to purchase the ticket must be carried with you on the journey.

Prices and booking. 

The Staff Travel Card is only recognised outside of Britain at Lille Europe and Paris Nord. Eurostar staff sell Safeguarded fares on presentation of the Staff Travel Card (STC). A STC for each person travelling must be presented. Eurostar will record each STC number used.

Although tickets can be purchased on the day of travel, it is better to obtain tickets in advance through International Rail. You can 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

Reservations can be made in Eurostar Standard (1^st class) by holders of 1^st Class FIP and Staff Travel Cards.

You cannot upgrade from Eurostar Standard to Eurostar Plus.

London Tramlink

Unlimited free leisure travel for Staff Travel Card holders (no need to date a box – just show your Staff Travel Card).

Status Passes are not valid on London Tramlink.

Tyne and Wear Metro

Privilege rate tickets are only issued to employees who entered employment before 11 August 1980. The only exception is the Heworth to Sunderland service, which all Staff Travel Card holders can use, and for some Gold Status Pass holders free travel is granted.

This eligibility will be indicated on a Status Pass and/or Staff Travel Card. The valid Staff Travel Card endorsements are NIL, 3 or 8.

Some employees who entered service before 11 August 1980 may have a different endorsement on their Staff Travel Card, such as 5, 6 or 11, due to the companies that they worked for. If this is the case, Staff Travel cards with endorsements 5, 6 or 11 are not valid on Tyne and Wear Metro.

To obtain free travel, use your Status Pass or appropriately dated Staff Travel Card.

To purchase a discounted ticket, only single Privilege rate tickets are available and to obtain these, you should press the child fare button on ticket issuing machines. When travelling you must carry your Staff Travel Card or Status Pass to support the use of the staff discounted (priv rate) rate ticket.

On Tyne & Wear Metro's Heworth to Sunderland service the ticketing arrangements above apply but also include Active or Retired Employees who entered employment on or after 11 August 1980.

There is no arrangement with Nexus for any staff travel on the Shields Ferry.

If you cease to be eligible for Tyne & Wear Metro facilities on leaving the service, you cannot have these reinstated if you re-enter employment with an Eligible Employer unless there is no gap between leaving the first Eligible Employer and joining the second.

West Coast Railway Company

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are available on all services directly operated by West Coast Railway Company including the Jacobite, The Dalesman, the Scarborough Express etc.

Staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are not available on other operators services which West Coast Railway provide motive power or rolling stock for.

There is no staff discounted (priv rate) available on 1^st class fares.

West Coast Railway Company booking details:

Standard class staff discounted (priv rate) tickets. Telephone: 01524 732100.

First class public rate tickets. Website westcoastrailways.co.uk

Heritage Railways (generally not on the National Rail network)

Staff discounted (priv rate) travel is generally not available on special event days with leisure/heritage railways. You should check with the railway to ensure that staff discounted (priv rate) travel is available.

Staff discounted (priv rate) travel is obtained by presentation of the Staff Travel Card. Status Passes and other TOC specific and group specific passes will not be accepted.

Shipping

Caledonian MacBrayne

With the exception of Gold Status Pass holders, the facilities described below on Caledonian Macbrayne are available only to Employees who entered service prior to 1 January 1971.

Caledonian MacBrayne routes

This eligibility will be indicated on a Status Pass and/or Staff Travel Card.

• 1 Ullapool-Stornoway
• 2 Uig-Tarbert
• 3 Uig-Lochmaddy
• 4 Mallaig-Armadale
• 5 Oban-Craignure
• 6 Oban-Castlebay
• 7 Oban-Lochboisdale
• 8 Oban-Coll
• 9 Coll-Tiree
• 10 Oban-Tiree
• 11 Oban-Colonsay
• 12 Kennacraig-Islay
• 13 Ardrossan-Brodick
• 14 Wemyss Bay-Rothesay
• 15 Gourock-Dunoon

Gold Status Pass holders, irrespective of when they entered service, are eligible for free travel on Caledonian MacBrayne routes 13, 14 and 15. Gold Status Passes are not valid for free travel on Caledonian MacBrayne routes 1 – 12.

Reduced rate travel facilities are available on all routes listed above upon presentation of a valid undated Staff Travel Card at the booking offices.

Free travel facilities, obtained by use of a dated Staff Travel Card, are granted to all eligible active and retired staff on routes 13-15 only. For routes 13 and 14 you should collect a ticket at the Port Ticket Office before boarding. For route 15, obtain tickets on the ferry from a purser.

On routes 1–12 free travel twice per annum is granted to eligible Active full-time Employees, their spouses/partners and dependent children. Apply on Non-FIP Travel Request Form (XX09d) giving 10 days’ notice. Individual tickets will be issued for specific journeys. However, you must obtain a Boarding Pass, either at the Port Ticket Office before boarding or onboard from the Purser.

On River Clyde services on routes 13-15:

• Gold Status Passes are valid
• Silver Status Passes are valid if endorsed with “Available also on specified Caledonian MacBrayne Clyde services”
• Blue Status Passes Scottish Region are valid if endorsed with “Available also on specified Caledonian MacBrayne Clyde services”

With the exception of Gold Status Pass holders, the facilities described above on Caledonian Macbrayne are available only to Employees who entered service prior to 1 January 1971.

Hovertravel

Staff discounted (priv-rate) fares for leisure travel are available on Hovertravel services between Southsea and Ryde.

Through fares are available from many (but not all) mainland stations via Hovertravel to stations on the Isle of Wight.

Holders of the Staff Travel Card can also purchase staff discounted (priv-rate) fares at the Hovertravel terminal at either Southsea or Ryde. Hovertravel operate a connecting bus between Portsmouth and Southsea station and Southsea Hovertravel terminal. If you intend to purchase a staff discounted (priv-rate) fare at Southsea Hovertravel terminal you can present your Card on board the bus at Portsmouth and Southsea station for free transfer. Alternatively you can purchase your priv rate ticket at the Portsmouth Hard Exchange travel centre.

Please note:

• a Staff Travel Card must be carried to support the use of the staff discounted (priv-rate)
• dated boxes on Staff Travel Card, Status Passes and Residential Passes are not valid for any free travel on Hovertravel services.

Irish Ferries

This section relating to Irish Ferries Services does not apply if your Staff Travel Card has either of the following endorsements

• 5 Valid on National Rail and London Underground only. Not Eurostar
• 11 Valid on National Rail only. Not Eurostar

Services operate between Pembroke Dock and Rosslare, and between Holyhead and Dublin.

Active full time Safeguarded employees are granted free travel on two occasions a year for themselves and their eligible partners and child dependents. Apply to Rail Staff Travel at least 8 weeks in advance on Non-FIP Travel Request Form (XX09d) giving full details of the specific journeys (date and sailing time) required.

Active full time Safeguarded staff may also book unlimited Priv-rate journeys, as can retired employees, (and their eligible partners and child dependents) and Widow(er)s

The discount is available on the price of the foot-passenger ticket. Port tax must be paid at the public rate. Tickets must be purchased from Irish Ferries in advance of travel.

Irish Ferries booking details

Telephone 08717 300 400

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

This section relating to Isle of Man Steam Packet Services does not apply if your Staff Travel Card has either of the following endorsements

• 5 Valid on National Rail and London Underground only. Not Eurostar
• 11 Valid on National Rail only. Not Eurostar

Services operate between Heysham/Liverpool and Douglas; and between Douglas and Dublin/Belfast.

For Active Safeguarded employees only (i.e. no dependents) free travel is granted on two occasions per year. Apply on Isle of Man Steam Packet Application Form (XX16) giving at least 3 weeks’ notice. Individual tickets are then issued for specific journeys. A port tax is payable locally on services leaving Douglas.

For dependents of Active Safeguarded employees, Retired safeguarded employees and their dependents, staff discounted (priv rate) tickets are issued for return journeys only at the ordinary single fare valid three months for outward and return journeys.

Staff travel is for foot passengers only. There is no reduction for vehicles.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company booking details

Free and discounted tickets are quota controlled. Advance booking is strongly recommended.

Telephone: 01624 661661 or in person at the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company office at the port of embarkation.

Stena Line Harwich to Hook of Holland

The facilities for this are in the Travel Tips for Europe..

Stena Line Irish Services

This section relating to Stena Line Irish Services does not apply if your Staff Travel Card has either of the following endorsements

• 5 Valid on National Rail and London Underground only. Not Eurostar
• 11 Valid on National Rail only. Not Eurostar

Staff Travel Cards (no need to date a box) issued to active and retired employees, partners and child dependents can be used on services for free foot passenger travel to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. All Stena Line services are single class.

A Port Tax ticket (for all passengers aged 4 or over) must be bought in advance and presented at the embarkation port.

Cabins, Stena Plus and Meals can also be pre-booked at brochure prices.

Passengers must report at least 45 minutes prior to departure on all routes except Belfast-Liverpool where check-in is at least 90 minutes prior to departure.

The following routes tend to be exceptionally busy throughout the summer months, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Halloween and Bank Holiday periods:

• Cairnryan – Belfast
• Fishguard – Rosslare
• Holyhead – Dublin
• Liverpool – Belfast

Reservations are compulsory on all sailings. All free and concessionary travel holders must have the correct documentation before travelling. Bookings cannot be made at the Port on the day of departure.

Space for concessionary travel is subject to availability. An alternative can be requested if the first choice of sailing has no space left.

Vehicles

Fares are cheaper the earlier the booking is made. The 50% discount for conveyance of vehicles is on the flexi fare available at the time of booking.

Port Taxes

These are payable in each direction for adults and children (4-15 years).

Environmental Charge

All passengers and vehicles are subject to the Environmental Charge introduced by the International Maritime Organisation. Fees are payable for all single journeys. More details are available on the website here:

www.stenaline.co.uk/faqs/book-quote-online/what-is-the-environmental-charge

Stena Line booking details

Telephone: 03432 081801 for port tax and vehicle discounted fares.

Online: www.stenaline.co.uk for Cabins, Stena Plus and Meals.

Wightlink Services

Travel facilities on Wightlink are available only to Employees who entered the service prior to 1 April 1985. This will be indicated by endorsement NIL, 2, 3 or 8 on your Staff Travel Card.

Some employees who entered service before 1 April 1985 may have a different endorsement on their Staff Travel Card, such as 5 or 11, due to the companies that they were employed by. Staff Travel Cards with endorsement 5 or 11 are not valid for travel facilities on Wightlink.

Travel is available on the services between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde/Fishbourne; and between Lymington and Yarmouth.

Reduced rate travel is available to all eligible Active and Retired Employees and their Dependents upon presentation of a valid undated Staff Travel Card.

Free travel can be obtained by use of a dated Staff Travel Card (but not a Status Pass).

Residential travel is also granted to Employees. For this purpose, the shipping company will accept Residential Passes as long as these are endorsed “via Wightlink services” if part of a through journey, or specifically (e.g. Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde) if that is the extent of the residential journey sought.

Eligible employees are granted a 50% reduction on the standard vehicle and driver tariff which applies on both routes to single, day return and return tickets, although this is not available for commercial vehicles, caravans or trailers. All other passengers in the vehicle can travel free or at staff discounted (priv rate) (if eligible) or at the appropriate full fare. Tickets cannot be pre-booked and can only be purchased on the day of travel.

There are no restrictions on foot passenger services. Concessionary vehicle arrangements are not offered during the peak summer holiday period (roughly mid-July to late August) on Saturdays on sailings departing between 07.35 and 19.50 hours.

Wightlink booking details

Telephone: 0333 999 7333.

Travel facilities on Wightlink are available only to Employees who entered the service prior to 1 April 1985. This will be indicated by endorsement NIL, 2, 3 or 8 on your Staff Travel Card.

Some employees who entered service before 1 April 1985 may have a different endorsement on their Staff Travel Card, such as 5 or 11, due to the companies that they were employed by. Staff Travel Cards with endorsement 5 or 11 are not valid for travel facilities on Wightlink.

Windermere Lake Cruises

Unlimited free travel is granted to all Staff Travel Card holders, including spouses/partners and child dependents.

Before boarding, a Boarding Pass must be obtained by producing a valid Staff Travel Card (no need to date a box) at the Company’s booking offices at Ambleside, Bowness or Lakeside.

Luton Airport

Luton DART

Free staff travel facilities (Status passes and Staff Travel Card dated boxes) are not valid on Luton DART.

Privilege rate tickets may be purchased to Luton Airport which includes transfer between Luton Airport Parkway and Luton Airport on Luton DART.

Transport for London’s (TfL) Services

If your Staff Travel Card has a printed endorsement of 11 on the face of the card you are not eligible for any free or privilege rate travel on London Underground and Docklands Light Railway (LUL/DLR) services.

If your Staff Travel card does not have a printed endorsement of 11 on the face of the card, you can use your Staff Travel Card for priv rate travel on London Underground and DLR services. You can also use it with a dated box for free travel on the Inter-available routes as described below. This applies to eligible family members who hold a Staff Travel Card.

However, retired employees and partners and child dependents are not eligible for free or priv rate residential travel on London Underground or DLR services.

Widow(ers) receive the same benefits as the employee.

Using an Oyster card is cheaper than buying paper tickets, so TfL facilities are described in Oyster terms that are used and understood by TfL staff.

Break of journey is not allowed on London Underground journeys -. a broken journey counts as two separate ones.

London Overground and the Elizabeth Line are part of the national rail network so a dated Staf Travel Card can be used for free travel.

On London Underground and DLR Inter-available routes only

On all London Underground and DLR services

LUL and DLR Inter-available routes

The “inter-available routes” (i.e. those where both National Rail and TfL trains used to operate) are between the following points and at intermediate stations unless otherwise stated:

Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and District & Circle Lines:

• Moorgate to Kings Cross;
• Baker Street to Watford, Chesham or Amersham, but not for alighting/boarding between Baker Street and Harrow-on-the-Hill; (Gold Status Passes additionally valid from Euston Square)
• Paddington to Notting Hill Gate - Circle Line, for through journeys between Paddington and East Acton or westwards but not for alighting/boarding in between or at Notting Hill Gate;
• Paddington (Suburban) to Hammersmith (H&C);
• Tower Hill to Upminster (except at Aldgate East);
• Putney Bridge to Wimbledon;
• Turnham Green to Richmond;
• Earl’s Court to Kensington (Olympia)

Northern Line:

• Moorgate to Mill Hill East or High Barnet via Archway, but not for alighting/boarding between Kings Cross and Highgate, except at Kentish Town

Central Line:

• Liverpool Street to Epping or Hainault, via Woodford or Newbury Park.
• Ealing Broadway or West Ruislip to White City and in the case of through journeys between East Acton or westwards and Paddington; also between White City and Notting Hill Gate, but not for alighting/boarding between White City and Notting Hill Gate or at Notting Hill Gate

Bakerloo Line:

• Paddington to Harrow & Wealdstone

Jubilee Line:

• Stratford to Canning Town

Piccadilly Line:

• Finsbury Park to Kings Cross but not for alighting/boarding in between

Victoria Line:

• Finsbury Park or Highbury & Islington to Kings Cross

Waterloo and City:

• Waterloo to Bank

Docklands Light Railway:

• Tower Gateway to Limehouse

Residential Pass London Underground limitations

Residential Passes (made out with appropriate availability) for active staff only are also valid on the above lines with the exception of:

Hammersmith & City Line:

• Valid only between Paddington (Suburban) and Westbourne Park and not valid at Royal Oak.

District Line

• Valid between Tower Hill and Upminster but not for alighting/boarding between Tower Hill and Bow Road, except at Aldgate East when shown on the pass.

Northern Line

• Not valid between Moorgate and Kings Cross or at Kentish Town

Central Line

• Not valid at Bethnal Green or Mile End or between Ealing Broadway and North Acton

How to use your facilities in London

The reciprocal exchange of travel facilities with Transport for London (TfL) allows holders of Staff Travel Cards to purchase tickets for leisure travel on London Underground (LUL) and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services at priv rate.

The easiest and cheapest way to travel in London is to have the appropriate Priv All Rail discount set on a registered Oyster card. The applicable priv rate Oyster fare for the London Underground, DLR or National Rail services where Oyster pay as you go is accepted, will be deducted as you travel. If you do not touch in and out at either end of your journey the maximum Oyster fare will be taken and you may be liable for a penalty fare or prosecution.

Your Oyster Card with the Priv All Rail discount may be used on TfL bus services. However, the bus journey will be at the public adult fare.

To get the Priv All Rail discount set on an Oyster card, submit TfL Privilege Oyster Application Form (XX19). Once authorised by RST, take it together with your Staff Travel Card and registered Oyster card to a London Underground station, where a member of staff in the booking hall will set the priv rate discount on your Oyster card. If your Oyster card isn’t registered you can do this by creating a TfL online account at oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster. With this account, you can see your journey history, correct a maximum fare and top up your pay as you go credit online.

The Priv All Rail discount expiry date will match that on your Staff Travel Card. When you get a new Staff Travel Card, take it to a London Underground station and get the Priv All Rail discount updated on your Oyster card. You do not need to contact Rail Staff Travel each year, unless you do not get the discount set before the expiry date of the Staff Travel Card.

If you don’t update your Priv discount and it expires you will be charged the full pay as you go fare instead of a staff discounted (priv rate) fare.

You can still buy single staff discounted (priv rate) rate tickets for travel on London Underground services at National Rail stations, although these fares will be more expensive than Oyster pay as you go fares. If you’re buying a ticket for travel between two stations across Zone 1, for example, you should ask for a London Terminals to Zone U12* London ticket.

You cannot buy paper tickets for travel on the DLR.

London Underground staff discounted (priv rate) Season Tickets

London Underground only issue staff discounted (priv rate) Season Tickets on Oyster. Before you can buy a Privilege rate season ticket, you will need to get the ‘Priv All Rail’ discount set on your registered Oyster card. If your Oyster card isn’t registered you can do this by creating a TfL online account at oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster.

Applications for Privilege Season Tickets should be made by completing Employee Residential Travel form (XX01) or Dependent Season Ticket Form (XX31) www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst.

Once approved, RST will send you the authorised Privilege Season Ticket form. You will then be able to buy your zonal Privilege Season Ticket from ticket machines at London Underground stations. These cannot be bought via RST online.

To buy a staff discounted (priv rate) Season ticket, the expiry date of the All Rail discount must be after the expiry date of your Privilege Season ticket.

If the staff discounted (priv rate) Season ticket expires after the ‘Priv All Rail’ discount expiry date on your Oyster card, then you will need a member of LU staff to extend the expiry date of your ‘Priv All Rail’ discount to the end date of your Season Ticket before you can buy the staff discounted (priv rate) rate season ticket.

If you make a journey after the expiry date of the staff discounted (priv rate) Season Ticket on your Oyster card, you will be charged either the full public Oyster fare (if the accompanying privilege discount entitlement has also expired) or staff discounted (priv rate) Oyster fare (if the privilege discount entitlement is still valid). If you travel beyond the zones of your Privilege Season Ticket, a privilege zonal excess fare will be charged. The fare will be deducted from the pay as you go credit on the card. If there is insufficient money on the card, it will not open the gates and you will need to add money to clear the negative balance before you next travel.

National Rail Services in the Oyster area

You can use a dated box on your Staff Travel Card, or a Status Pass for free travel on National Rail services.

If you want to use your Staff Travel Card to travel at Priv rate you can either buy a paper ticket or use an Oyster card. Getting the ‘Priv All Rail’ discount set on your registered Oyster card as mentioned in the section above will also allow you priv rate travel on Elizabeth Line, the London Overground and TOCs within the Oyster pay as you go area.

This is for leisure journeys only and cannot be used for residential travel.

On services operated by Tramlink which is owned by TfL, showing an undated Staff Travel Card allows free leisure travel.

You can use your Staff Travel Card to buy staff discounted (priv rate) tickets for rail travel in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

FIP coupons can be used for free travel. See ‘Travel Tips in Europe’ for more information.

If you are crossing the border on the Enterprise service and using FIP coupons then both NIR and CIE coupons are needed.

European (FIP) Arrangements

The International Reduced Rate Card (FIP Card) is for unlimited reduced rate leisure travel (i.e. buying discounted tickets) and International Coupons (FIP Coupons) are for limited free leisure travel.

FIP free and reduced rate travel facilities may only be used for leisure purposes. They cannot be used for residential, commuting or duty travel.

Guidelines on getting the best out of travel in Europe can be found in the Travel Tips for Europe guide.

FIP facilities are not available to non-cohabiting partners.

Retired Employees and Widows

To qualify for reduced rate or free FIP rail travel, you must still be eligible to receive National leisure rail staff travel facilities on the National Rail network and must also have been:

On retirement there are two further opportunities to obtain FIP coupons.

• From the date of your retirement, you have 9 months to apply for any coupons not already issued from your last annual allocation. Each coupon issued must be used within 3 months.
• From the date of your retirement, you have 45 months to apply for one additional free coupon on each FIP undertaking which was a member whilst you were an active employee. Each coupon issued must be used within 3 months.

Many carriers do not offer free travel to retired employees. There is a separate table later in this document showing the facilities available to retired employees.

Different qualifying criteria apply to Widow(ers). Please contact RST.

More detailed information is available in our ‘Travel Tips for Europe’ guide.

General

There are a number of open access and franchised carriers in countries which were previously covered by a single national carrier. FIP facilities are carrier specific and care must be taken by FIP facilities holders to ensure that the carrier accepts the FIP facilities held.

The class of travel allowed by FIP carriers is the same as that granted to an employee on National Rail.

On FIP carriers (except on Eurostar), it is usually possible to upgrade from 2^nd Class to 1^st Class where the difference in the public fare between 2^nd and 1^st class is paid for in advance. It is an offence for an employee holding 2^nd class facilities to travel 1^st class unless the difference in fare has been paid prior to travel.

Business class is often not available to FIP 1^st or 2^nd class facilities holders.

Restrictions are imposed by FIP carriers from time to time.

Supplements and seat reservations are payable on many express, long distance or cross-border services, particularly ICE and TGV. Some carriers do not permit supplements to be purchased on board the train, unless departing from a station where the ticket office is not staffed.

Free Travel – FIP coupons

Free travel is granted usually once a year on most FIP carriers to all Active employees and on some carriers to Retired Employees, and also to spouse/partners and child dependents.

FIP International Free Coupons that are issued must be in the same name as your passport and you must have this with you when traveling.

Coupons are valid for a maximum period of 3 months from date of issue. To travel before 31 March of the next year out of this year’s quota, you must apply at least 3 weeks before 31 December and state an outward travel date of 31 December.

Apply online on the International Coupon Application Form (XX09b for employee travel only or XX09c for employees, partners and child dependents))

You must apply a minimum of 3 weeks before your intended date of travel.

Coupons are issued as a batch for the journey requested. An FIP regulation states that if a coupon has been part-used on a carrier adjoining or bordering the country of issue, it may not be used again for any further journeys on this carrier after the return journey has been made to the country of issue. The definition of the carrier adjoining or bordering Britain is StL (Stena Line – North Sea) and SLL (Stena Line – Irish Sea).

Part-used coupons for non-adjoining countries may therefore still be used up. Unused coupons may still be used for another journey as long as the overall period of validity has not been exceeded.

All FIP carriers listed below grant unlimited reduced rate leisure travel for all FIP card holders.

The allocation of coupons available per year for each carrier is shown in the Travel Tips for Europe guide.

Reduced rate travel - FIP Cards

International Reduced Rate (FIP) Cards are valid for two calendar years. They are only valid for travel in conjunction with the Passport of the holder, and must be presented to purchase discounted tickets, and also when discounted tickets are inspected. The name on the passport must match that on the International Reduced Rate Card.

Booking reduced rate tickets or obtaining reservations for free travel

To obtain reduced rate tickets, seat, couchette, sleeper reservations and supplements from the UK, you can contact International Rail.

Bookings can be made as early as 6 months, or as late as 21 days, prior to travel.

W: www.bookmyrst.co.uk/

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You can also make bookings for journeys involving any of the following:

• When using International Coupons for free travel on services but additionally requiring reservations or paying mandatory supplements, or using an FIP card for discounted journeys
• Eurostar Blue* London to Lille/Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam
• Lyria* TGV within France only
• Eurostar Red* between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany
• AVE internal services within Spain (Special FIP Leisure Fares include travel ticket and reservation are payable by holders of International Coupon tickets and International Reduced Rate Cards.)
• RENFE within Spain and between Spain and Portugal
• DB/SNCF* from France to Germany

* FIP Leisure Fares include travel ticket and seating/overnight accommodation. International Coupon Tickets are not valid.

When booking please have your International Reduced Rate Card and debit/credit card details ready.

Non-European Arrangements

Some non-European administrations offer travel facilities to Active and Retired Staff and dependents provided they have not taken up permanent residence in the country for which travel facilities are required.

Unless otherwise stated, dependents usually comprise spouses and children. These facilities are not granted to widow(ers) and their dependent children.

Reduced rate tickets are usually only available from ticket offices in advance of travel and not normally on-board trains. the ½ rate reduction IS off the full public fare. Apply a minimum of ten weeks before travel using Non-FIP Travel Request form XX09d 

RST cannot guarantee that a letter of introduction will result in any concessions. This should be borne in mind when booking your trip.

On New South Wales Railway. Discounted fares not available in the Sydney metro area (bounded by Dungog, Scone, Lithgow, Wollongong and Goulburn).  Domestic partners are accepted irrespective of marital status or gender. Dependent children under 21 years old only. The arrangement with Australia is currently suspended due to issues with delivery of the scheme.

On Amtrak. A valid passport must be presented to purchase Amtrak tickets and reservations, and also on board for ticket inspection. Reservations may be made by contacting Amtrak Reservation at 800-872-7245 or by going to an open Amtrak ticket office. Be certain to identify yourself as a Reduced-Rate Travel Authorisation card holder when making reservations. Reservations must be made within 24 hours of the scheduled departure time from the point of origin of reserved travel. This limit applies separately to each train or Thruway service, including for connecting and return travel. If the person is on one train at the 24-hour time limit and wants to book onward travel, they may use a mobile phone to call Amtrak reservations 800-872-7245 to book the new travel. Tickets may then be obtained for that train at the connecting station. Reduced rate fares are not available on Acela Express services, Thruway services in the 7000-8000 series or Thruway services in Oregon. Persons eligible for reduced-rate fares are not entitled to refunds for the fare difference if they book as a revenue passenger rather than using the Reduced-Rate Travel Authorisation Card. (RST Ref: 90-083-001/D7530INC). Spouses/partners may travel with eligible employees. Dependent children aged 19 to 23 must be verified full time students to travel with the employee at discounted rates. Evidence of student status from the college/university will need to be supplied to Amtrak by RST as part of the application for the Reduced-Rate Travel Authorisation Card. 

The concession on these undertakings may be a pass, a ticket or a Letter of Introduction. in most cases full journey details should be supplied.

If you retire, you will retain travel facilities for yourself and your eligible family members, provided that on the date of leaving you are eligible to receive an immediate pension from a section of the Railway Pension Scheme or would have been eligible had you been a member of a section of the Railway Pension Scheme. You don’t have to take the pension, just be eligible to do so.

(For many employees, the minimum age at which a pension can be taken from a section of the Railway Pension Scheme is 50. However, from 6 April 2010, a change in the pension rules meant that if you transferred voluntarily to your current section of the Railway Pension Scheme after 5 April 2006, your minimum pension age may be 55. RPMI will advise you of your minimum pension age.)

[For employers, before advising RST that an employee under 55 has retired and is eligible to receive travel facilities, you must have confirmed the minimum pension age of the individual concerned and provided documentary evidence of this to RST.]

• If you retire because of ill health, to retain travel facilities for yourself and your family you must be eligible to receive either a normal age or an immediate ill-health pension from a section of the Railway Pension Scheme on the date of leaving.
• If you leave under redundancy, then regardless of your pension status (but subject to the paragraph below about the employer final payment) you will receive retired leisure travel facilities for yourself and your eligible family members. If you are dismissed, you will not retain any travel facilities.
• If you resign and leave the industry (i.e. Scheme employment), you will not retain any travel facilities. However you may be able to become eligible again. Contact RST for more information.
• If you are dismissed you will not retain any travel facilities.
• If for any reason you surrender your right to travel facilities (e.g. in return for a salary enhancement), you will not be able to have those facilities reinstated.
• If you worked for a company which pays for the issue of travel facilities, then continued issue in retirement of the facilities to which you may be eligible is additionally subject to your employer having made the requisite final payment to RST.

RST will continue to handle these for you. As soon as RST is notified of your retirement, we amend your status in our records, and will contact you about any details specific to your own circumstances. Contact details

The level and range of travel facilities held at the date of retirement is typically retained, however some cards must be returned immediately for exchange to a retired version.

Staff Travel Cards

You and your family may keep your existing active cards until the next renewal (mid to late March), when you will receive retired versions.

Status Passes (Gold, Silver or Blue)

You must return these to RST as soon as you retire so we can issue a retired version. You can do this by cutting each one into four and emailing a photo to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. A new photo must also be supplied, uploaded via our website so that the new card has an up-to-date image – this should avoid difficulties when travelling. Your new Status Pass will be valid for leisure travel only. If you do not do this within one month of leaving, a hold will be placed on your rail staff travel record so no further cards/passes are issued.

TfL Oyster Status Passes

As above – we will exchange your Active pass for a Retired version, provided you qualify to retain it under TfL’s rules, which are different from Rail Staff Travel’s rules. You must return these to RST as soon as you retire so we can issue a retired version. You can do this by cutting it into four and emailing a photo to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you do not do this within one month of leaving, a hold will be placed on your rail staff travel record so no further cards/passes are issued.

International Reduced Rate Cards (FIP Cards)

The reduced rate travel facilities on FIP administrations for retired staff is not as generous as for active employees. However you may retain your active card for a period of 6 months following the date of retirement, when it should be sent to RST for us to cancel it and issue you with a retired version.

International Coupon Tickets (FIP Coupons)

The free travel facilities on FIP administrations granted to retired staff is not as generous as for active employees. After the date of retirement there are two opportunities to receive coupons available to active employees.

• You may apply for any coupons that you did not use in your last active annual allocation of coupons. The start date on the coupons can be any date up to 9 months after your leaving date.
• You may also apply for one additional free coupon on each FIP undertaking that was available at the time of your retirement. The start date on the coupons can be any date up to 45 months after your leaving date.

This is also available for eligible dependants, but only on those networks where free travel is granted to spouses/partners and dependent children. These coupons are valid for the usual 3 months. Thereafter you can only apply for coupons which retired employees and their dependants are eligible for.

You cannot keep any product which allows residential (commuter) travel, as this is only available during active service.

Residential Passes

If you hold a Residential Pass you must return it to RST on your last day of service. You can do this by cutting it into four and emailing a photo to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you don’t do so, a hold will be placed on your rail staff travel record so no further cards/passes are issued.

Gold or Silver Status Pass for Residential Use only

As you would already have a Retired Gold/Silver Status Pass for leisure use to have this second Status Pass for Residential use, you must return it to RST on your last day of service. You can do this by cutting it into four and emailing a photo to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you don’t do so, a hold will be placed on your rail staff travel record so no further cards/passes are issued.

Privilege Season Ticket

You must return your Privilege Season Ticket to RST for a refund using form XX11. If you don’t do so, a hold will be placed on your rail staff travel record so no further cards/passes are issued.

Reduced Rate Season Ticket

You must return your Reduced Rate Season Ticket to RST for a refund using form XX11. If you don’t do so, a hold will be placed on your rail staff travel record so no further cards/passes are issued.

Rail Staff Leisure Card

You must return it (and any issued to family members) to RST on your last day of service. You can do this by cutting it into four and emailing a photo to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Incident Card Team (ICT) Card

You must return your ICT card to your TOC ICT manager or RST on your last day of service. You can do this by cutting it into four and emailing a photo to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Duty Authority to Travel (DAT) Card

You must return your DAT card to your TOC manager or RST on your last day of service. You can do this by cutting it into four and emailing a photo to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Provided that:

• You return to work for a Scheme employer (one which grants such staff travel facilities under the Scheme); and
• You have not worked for any other in between working for two Scheme employers

then you may be eligible to receive once again active safeguarded travel facilities (normally only for residential purposes as your leisure eligibility will have been “frozen” or “preserved” as described above). However, while you might pass the eligibility criteria, the granting of any travel facilities, at any level, is still at the discretion of the new employer. So before making or accepting a job offer, employers and employees are encouraged to check with RST that the particular circumstances qualify.

Previously, a combination of age and length of service were the main factors.

If you did not meet these criteria at the time, you were not eligible then and so cannot be eligible now:

Retirement

• Age 55 or over with 5 years or more service
• Age 50 or over with 5 years or more service and with the employer’s permission
• Executive Grades (as recorded by RST against the employee record) may retire at 50 and retain travel facilities without the employer’s permission

Ill-Health Retirement

• Age 45 or over with 5 years or more service
• Under age 45 with 20 years or more service
• Under age 45 with more than 5 years and less than 20 years’ service, if you were continuously unemployed since the date of leaving (if you were in receipt of an ill-health pension, the minimum service requirement of 5 years is waived) – you must submit evidence of unemployment each year unless you have provided something from an official body confirming that you will never work again. The requirement to provide annual proof ceases when you reach 60 years of age.

Redundancy

• Age 45 or over with 5 years or more service
• Under age 45 with 20 years or more service
• Under age 45 with between 10 and 20 years’ service, providing you were continuously unemployed since the date of leaving. You must submit evidence of unemployment each year unless you have provided something from an official body confirming that you will never work again. The requirement to provide annual proof ceases when you reach 60 years of age.

The full range of Railcards is available and some of these might be suitable, depending on your circumstances. For instance Family and Friends, Two Together and Senior Railcards all offer good discounts. In fact, you can apply for any public railcard as an active member of staff, though you can’t of course use two types of concession for the same journey.