Concessionary Fares On The British Railway Network - Campaign For A National Railcard

Campaign For A National Railcard

Railfuture, an independent pressure group for rail users, has been campaigning for a number of years for a National Railcard to replace the plethora of different railcards. Such a card would take a similar form to DB's Bahncard in Germany. A study undertaken jointly by Railfuture and the Rail Passengers Council (now known as "Passenger Focus") in April 2003 suggested that 3 million people would buy such a Railcard for £20.00 if it gave a ⅓ discount on off-peak fares. The "most conservative forecast" indicated that 2.7 million people would buy a card at this price and with this discount, increasing passenger mileage per annum by 11% and rail industry profits by £50 million. The profit-maximising combination was found to be a price of £30.00 and a 50% discount on off-peak fares; passenger mileage would rise by an estimated 25% and profits would increase by £70 million. All Railfuture reports, including the full study, are available here.