Network Railcard

Last updated

Network Railcard
Network Railcard (2017).jpg
Product typePublic transport
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1986
Related brands
MarketsUnited Kingdom
Website www.network-railcard.co.uk
The earliest version of the Network Card, issued manually rather than through an APTIS machine. Network Card 1.png
The earliest version of the Network Card, issued manually rather than through an APTIS machine.
The first APTIS version of the Network Card. This was used from the start of the APTIS era in 1986/1987 until well into the 1990s, as stocks had to be used up despite the introduction of the new-look orange-banded version in 1991. Network Card 2.png
The first APTIS version of the Network Card. This was used from the start of the APTIS era in 1986/1987 until well into the 1990s, as stocks had to be used up despite the introduction of the new-look orange-banded version in 1991.
The introduction of the weekday minimum fare condition in 2002 resulted in a minor change: the red "R" shows that this is the "Revised" version of the railcard. Network Railcard 5.png
The introduction of the weekday minimum fare condition in 2002 resulted in a minor change: the red "R" shows that this is the "Revised" version of the railcard.

The Network Railcard is a discount card introduced in 1986 by British Rail, upon the creation of their Network SouthEast sector in parts of Southern England.

Contents

The card is intended to encourage leisure travel by rail by offering discounts for adults and accompanying children on a wide range of off-peak fares. The range of discounts available, and the price of the card, have varied since that time, but the card has always been valid for a year's unlimited frequency of use.

It can be purchased by any person aged 16 or over from any staffed National Rail station or Rail Appointed Travel Agent, by completing an application form - no photographic identification or other documentation is needed to buy or use the card. It is one of a number of concessionary fare schemes available on the British railway system.

History

The Network SouthEast brand was introduced to what had been the London & South East sector of British Rail on 10 June 1986. The railcard was then introduced on 29 September 1986, [1] under the name Network Card. It offered a 34% discount on all off-peak fares for journeys wholly within the Network SouthEast area. Tickets valid at peak times, such as Day Returns and Open Returns, were excluded, as were First Class tickets (however, a supplement ticket could be bought to upgrade a discounted Standard Class ticket to First Class at weekends). [1] On weekdays, journeys had to start after 10.00am, but there were no time restrictions at weekends or on Bank Holidays. Up to three adults could accompany the railcard holder and gain the same discount, while up to four accompanying children could travel for a £1.00 flat fare. This version of the railcard could be issued for either one person or two people. On a two-person "joint-holder" ticket, either or both of the named holders could travel - that is, the card was transferable between the two. [2]

The first major change was made as from 28 September 1997. [3] At this time, the name Network Railcard was adopted; the joint-holder option was removed; the price was increased to £20.00; and the First Class supplement facility was discontinued. All other benefits remained the same, however. New ticket stock was introduced with APTIS form number RSP 4599/188 (the Network Card was BR 4599/22 and, after privatisation, RSP 4599/22). [3]

A larger and more controversial change occurred as from 2 June 2002, [4] when the discount level was changed: a minimum adult fare of £10.00 was imposed for weekday journeys, and children now received an 81% discount [5] on the full adult fare (equivalent to a 60% on the full child fare, [6] and subject to a minimum fare of £1.00) instead of the former £1.00 flat fare for all journeys. This meant that on a weekday, holders would receive no discount if the standard adult full fare was £10.00 or less, and a discount of less than 34% on fares between £10.05 and £15.00. Longer journeys for children would also become more expensive. Transport pressure group Transport 2000 and environmental organisation Friends of the Earth condemned the proposals, [7] and Reading East MP Jane Griffiths tabled an Early Day Motion in the British Parliament opposing the changes. This gained the support of 38 other MPs from all major parties. [7] Research commissioned by Transport 2000 indicated that 90% of journeys typically made in the railcard area would no longer gain any discount (as a result of the full adult fare being £10.00 or below), a further 3.5% would attract a discount of less than 34%, and only 6.5% would still be subject to the full 34% discount as before. [8] This reflects the fact that many journeys undertaken in the area are short and "local" in nature, and that the area as a whole is fairly small in size (as the map shows, [9] it does not extend a very long way from London in any direction).

To compensate for the problems and disruption experienced on the railway network between 2000 and 2002, Network Railcards bought in the early months of 2002 (until 18 May 2002) were issued for 15 months for the price of 12.

The Heathrow Express service between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport, which was introduced in 1998, was excluded until March 2006. Since then, however, a 34% discount has been available on adult tickets in Express Class (the equivalent of Standard Class), subject to the usual Railcard weekday time restrictions. [10]

In May 2009 the Network Railcard terms were revised again, making the card both more expensive and raising the minimum fare for a discount to £13.00.

Until July 2014, the Network Railcard was not valid on the regular Gatwick Express service, and was only valid on those running to Brighton. It is now valid on all Gatwick Express services, subject to the usual weekday time restrictions.

Tickets issued with Network Cards/Railcards

On the APTIS, PORTIS/SPORTIS and other computerised ticket issuing systems, a "status code" field is provided on each ticket issued. This is left blank if an adult is travelling at full (undiscounted) fare; but if any discount or other special condition applies, a code of up to five letters appears.

Adult tickets issued with the original Network Card displayed a status code of NSE, while child tickets showed CHNSE. These codes continued in use when the Network Railcard was introduced in its place, until the major change in June 2002. When the "new" Network Railcard was introduced, with the £10.00 minimum fare and altered child discount, there were still a large number of "old" Network Railcards in use, with no minimum fare restriction and £1.00 flat fares for children. A method of distinguishing these on tickets had to be developed. ATOC introduced the following codes accordingly, [11] and uploaded them to all ticket issuing systems in mid-2002:

By August 2003 (18 May 2002 + 15 months), no "old" Network Railcards remained in use, and ATOC eventually stopped using the new codes on ticket issuing systems, reverting to NSE and CHNSE instead; however, the codes NR02A and NR02C are still used in paper and online forms of the National Fares Manuals issued to the train operating companies, Rail Appointed Travel Agents and other ticket-issuing locations. [5]

Adult status codesChild status codes
APTIS Status Code NSE.JPG APTIS Status Code CHNSE.JPG
B8050 Status Code NR01A.JPG APTIS Status Code NR01C.JPG
APTIS Status Code NR02A.JPG APTIS Status Code NR02C.JPG

Price

The price of the railcard increased over the years, and different prices were sometimes charged for "joint holder" status and according to whether Senior Railcards or Young Persons Railcards were held as well.

Effective fromSingle-holder
railcard		When bought by
Young Persons
Railcard holder		When bought by
Senior Railcard
holder		Joint-holder
railcard		When bought by
Young Persons
Railcard holder		When bought by
Senior Railcard
holder
29 September 1986£10.00N/A£5.00£10.00N/A£5.00
1 March 1987£10.00£5.00£5.00£10.00£5.00£5.00
12 May 1991£12.00£8.00£8.00£15.00£10.00£10.00
29 May 1994£14.00£10.00£10.00£17.00£12.00£12.00
28 September 1997£20.00N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
17 May 2009£25.00N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
22 May 2011£28.00N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
19 May 2013£30.00N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
A First Class supplement ticket showing the post-February 1990 flat fare of PS3.00. APTIS 4599-15 (Type 1).JPG
A First Class supplement ticket showing the post-February 1990 flat fare of £3.00.

As can be seen, discounts of various sizes were given until 1997 to holders of Young Persons and Senior Railcards who wanted to buy a Network Card. Upon the relaunch under the "Network Railcard" name, this facility was withdrawn. [12] These discounted Network Cards were issued in bulk on British Rail's behalf at an agency in Slough, and carried an endorsement on the reverse to show which type of reduction applied. [2]

First Class supplement upgrade tickets were initially priced at a flat fare of £1.00 for both adults and children for any length of journey. This became £3.00 for adults and £1.50 for children in February 1990. The benefit was withdrawn upon the introduction of the first Network Railcard on 28 September 1997. [13]

Gold card discount (season tickets)

Holders of annual season tickets for journeys within the Network Rail area, including on London Underground, are issued with a "Gold Card" which gives them similar privileges to the Network Railcard, as well as being able to purchase a Network Railcard for a friend or family member for a discounted price of £10.00 [14] There is no minimum fare for "Gold Card" discounts, and the ability to upgrade to First Class for a flat fare also remains. This includes cases where the annual season ticket is applied to an Oyster card.

Popularity

When the Network Card was introduced, it quickly became popular with the public: more than 500,000 were sold per year at first, and a noticeable increase in use of the rail network at off-peak times for leisure purposes was achieved. [15] [ page needed ] Although ownership had declined to around 360,000 by the time of the £10.00 minimum fare change in 2002, [7] extra ticket sales totalling approximately £70 million were still generated per year. (For comparison, total ticket sales across the whole British railway network, including peak, off-peak and other tickets, are approximately £3.5 billion.) [15] Ownership of railcards has stayed fairly stable since then; and with 360,000 sold at £20 each (£28 in 2011), sales of the railcards themselves bring in more than £7 million per year, before the additional revenue from journeys made with them is taken into account.

Network Railcard area

The Railcard scheme is administered by the Rail Delivery Group on behalf of the following train operating companies (TOCs), some or all of whose services are within the boundaries of the railcard area:

Valid on all services
Valid on services
within boundaries
of railcard area

Original area

When Network SouthEast was created in 1986, its boundaries represented the boundaries of the railcard area. Since then, some small extensions have been made. The original boundaries were:

All other main lines and branches south and east of these were included, except the Gatwick Express service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.

The exception on the West of England Main Line related to tickets issued from or to Pinhoe, Exeter Central and Exeter St Davids stations. Discounted tickets could be bought to or from these stations provided they were not for journeys to, from or via London or Reading. This is because the faster route (via Westbury) was (and still is) available from Exeter to London and Reading; it was wholly outside the Network SouthEast area, and higher fares applied to it than to the route via the West of England Main Line.

Current area

The following extensions have been made at various times since the scheme was introduced:

The London & South East map shows the boundary of the Network Railcard area as of 2019. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rush hour</span> Time of day with peak traffic congestion

A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: once in the morning and once in the afternoon or evening, the times during which most people commute. The term is often used for a period of peak congestion that may last for more than one hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oyster card</span> Payment method for public transport in London

The Oyster card is a payment method for public transport in London, England, United Kingdom. A standard Oyster card is a blue credit-card-sized stored-value contactless smart card. It is promoted by Transport for London (TfL) and can be used on as part of London's integrated transport network on travel modes including London Buses, London Underground, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground, Tramlink, some river boat services, and most National Rail services within the London fare zones. Since its introduction in June 2003, more than 86 million cards have been used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travelcard</span> Ticket for the London local transport

The Travelcard is an inter-modal travel ticket for unlimited use on the London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth line, Docklands Light Railway, London Trams, London Buses and National Rail services in the Greater London area. Travelcards can be purchased for a period of time varying from one day to a year, from Transport for London, National Rail and their agents. Depending on where it is purchased, and the length of validity, a Travelcard is either printed on a paper ticket with a magnetic stripe or encoded onto an Oyster card, Transport for London's contactless electronic smart card, or an ITSO smartcard issued by a National Rail train operating company. The cost of a Travelcard is determined by the area it covers and, for this purpose, London is divided into a number of fare zones. The Travelcard season ticket for unlimited travel on London Buses and the London Underground was launched on 22 May 1983 by London Transport. One Day Travelcards and validity on other transport modes were added from 1984 onwards. The introduction of the Travelcard caused an increase in patronage and reduced the number of tickets that needed to be purchased by passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Network SouthEast</span> 1982–1994 passenger sector of British Rail

Network SouthEast (NSE) was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE mainly operated commuter rail trains within Greater London and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network went as far west as Exeter and also covered the inner East of England. Before 1986, the sector was originally known as London & South Eastern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APTIS ticket features</span> British Rail ticket features

Tickets issued from British Rail's APTIS system had a considerable amount of detail, presented in a consistent, standard format. The design for all tickets was created by Colin Goodall. This format has formed the basis for all subsequent ticket issuing systems introduced on the railway network – ticket-office based, self-service and conductor-operated machines alike.

In the ticketing system of the British rail network, tickets are normally issued to and from individual stations. In some instances, when there is more than one station in a town or other locality—especially where these are on different routes—it may be desirable for passengers to be able to travel to one station and back from another, or more generally to be able to choose which of the stations they wish to travel to. To accommodate this requirement, British Rail introduced a series of station groups: notional "common locations" to which tickets from stations outside that group would be issued.

In addition to the large number and variety of short-term or localised promotional fares that have been available to passengers on the British railway network in recent decades, there are many permanent concessionary fare schemes available to passengers. Some of these take the form of Railcards, which can be purchased by people who qualify according to the conditions, and which give discounts for all journeys over a period; other concessions are available for individual journeys. In all cases, details of the type of concession will be printed on the passenger's travel ticket, to distinguish reduced-rate tickets from those sold at the standard full fare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascom B8050 Quickfare</span>

Ascom B8050, usually known by the name QuickFare, is an early example of a passenger-operated railway ticket issuing system, consisting of a series of broadly identical machines installed at British railway stations from 1989 onwards. The machines allow passengers to buy the most popular types of ticket themselves, without having to go to a booking office, and are therefore useful at unstaffed, partly staffed or busy stations. All QuickFare machines have been replaced by more modern technology.

The Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress system is a passenger-operated self-service railway ticket issuing system developed and manufactured by the German systems development and production group Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH, based in the city of Mönchengladbach. Since the first trial installations in 2003, seven train operating companies (TOCs) in Great Britain have adopted the system as their main passenger-operated ticket vending method, while four others have installed machines at certain stations on their networks. More than 1,500 machines are in place across the country, and more than 850 stations have one or more. Machines can accept cash and/or payment cards and can sell most National Rail tickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16–25 Railcard</span>

The 16–25 Railcard is an annual card giving discounts on certain types of railway ticket in Britain. It is available to anybody aged between 16 and 25 (inclusive), and certain mature students aged 26 and above, and is currently priced at £30.00. There is no restriction on the number of times the Railcard can be used to purchase discounted tickets during the period of its validity, and there are no geographical restrictions on its use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senior Railcard</span> British Rail discount card

The Senior Railcard is an annual card available to people aged 60 and over, which gives discounts on certain types of railway ticket in Britain. The Railcard has existed in various forms since 1975; the current version is priced at £30.00 and is valid for one year, with a 3-year card available for £70. It is one of a wide variety of discounted and concessionary fare schemes available on Britain's railway network.

The Family and Friends Railcard is an annual rail travel discount card for use in Great Britain by adults travelling with at least one child. Cards valid for either one or three years can be purchased at a cost of £30 for one year or £70 for three. It is one of the discounted and concessionary fare schemes available on Britain's railway network to people who either belong to particular groups or who are willing to buy tickets ahead of the date of travel. Before 18 May 2008 it was known as the Family Railcard, but the name was changed to reflect the fact that discounted travel is not restricted to adults and children who are related.

The Disabled Persons Railcard is a concessionary fare scheme in the United Kingdom giving eligible passengers with disabilities benefits on the National Rail network including a 1/3 discount on fares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transit pass</span> Transit ticket for multiple trips

A transit pass or travel card, often referred to as a bus pass or train pass etc., is a ticket that allows a passenger of the service to take either a certain number of pre-purchased trips or unlimited trips within a fixed period of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BahnCard</span> German railway loyalty program

BahnCard is a discount subscription programme offered by Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German national railway company. Unlike airline loyalty programs, but similarly to the UK Railcard, the BahnCard entitles the passenger to a discount price and must be purchased prior to travel. The BahnCard is offered in a non-business and a business version called BahnCard Business. Non-business BahnCard contracts are automatically renewed each year, unless they are cancelled with sufficient notice. Three variants of BahnCard are sold by Deutsche Bahn: The BahnCard 25, the BahnCard 50, and the BahnCard 100. The first two variants allow passengers to get 25% and 50% discount respectively on standard long-distance rail fares, while the Mobility BahnCard 100 is a type of annual ticket that allows free unlimited travel on most of the German railway network for a fixed price. The (non-business) BahnCard 25/50 are valid for one year and can only be purchased by subscription. If they are not canceled no later than six weeks before the expiry date, their term is automatically extended by another year. BahnCard Business 25/50 are also valid for one year but require no cancellation. Unlike the personal BahnCard, BahnCard Business can be combined with the discount that is granted to large-volume business customers.

The go card is an electronic smartcard ticketing system developed by Cubic Corporation, which is currently used on the Translink public transport network in South East Queensland, Australia. To use the go card, users hold the card less than 10 cm away from the reader to "touch on" before starting a journey, and must do the same to "touch off" the service at the end of the journey. The cost of each journey is deducted from the go card balance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Key (smartcard)</span> Contactless smartcard used in British public transport

The Key is a contactless ITSO-compatible smartcard developed by the Go-Ahead Group used on buses, trains and other forms of public transport across various areas of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Network NorthWest</span> Regional passenger sector of British Rail

Network NorthWest was a brand name of British Rail which was applied for a short period to the provincial railway network in North West England. It was launched in 1989 during British Rail's sectorisation programme which created distinct brand identities for regional sub-divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 National Rail ticket features</span> British Rail ticket features

In 2014, a new design was introduced for train tickets issued on the National Rail network in Great Britain. The pre-2014 design was similar to the APTIS design introduced in 1986 by British Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Together Railcard</span> British rail discount scheme

The Two Together Railcard is a scheme which gives discounts on certain types of railway ticket in Britain. Launched nationally in 2014 after a successful trial in 2011–12, it was the first new Railcard scheme since the 1980s. It is available to any two named individuals aged 16 or over and is priced at £30.00. There is no restriction on the number of times the Railcard can be used to purchase discounted tickets during the period of its validity, and there are no geographical restrictions on its use.

References

  1. 1 2 Brown & Jackson (1990), p. 20.
  2. 1 2 Boddy (2001), p. 25.
  3. 1 2 Journal of the Transport Ticket Society (407): 462–463. December 1997. ISSN   0144-347X.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ Journal of the Transport Ticket Society (460): 185. May 2002. ISSN   0144-347X.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. 1 2 "ATOC National Fares Manual: Section F (Discounted Travel)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007.
  6. ↑ "Railcards: Network Railcard". Archived from the original on 2 November 2007.
  7. 1 2 3 "Fight is on to save South-east Network Railcard". Transport 2000. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006.
  8. ↑ "New research on eve of change shows train companies have got their sums wrong". Transport 2000. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006.
  9. 1 2 Network Rail (September 2019). "London & the South East Rail Services Map" (PDF). Rail Delivery Group.
  10. ↑ "Heathrow Express offers discounted fares to Network Railcard holders". ATOC. 28 March 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  11. ↑ Journal of the Transport Ticket Society (463): 306. August 2002. ISSN   0144-347X.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ Boddy (2001), p. 54.
  13. ↑ Boddy (2001), pp. 25–26.
  14. ↑ "Annual Gold Card". National Rail. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  15. 1 2 "ATOC lemmings must stop on the brink of railcard precipice". Rail Magazine. No. 431. 20 March 2002.
  16. 1 2 3 Boddy (2001), p. 26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.