26-30 Railcard customers save over £3.4m in first month

• Since going on sale, over 440k 26-30 Railcard journeys have been made, with customers travelling an average of 67.4 miles at a time
• There are still over 3 million eligible 26-30 year olds that are missing out on making great savings on their rail journeys

The 26-30 Railcard broke sales records when it went on sale at midday on 2 January, with two Railcards being sold per second. Since launching over 125k people have been able to save over £3.4m on their rail journeys, with the 26-30 Railcard being used for an average of 13,777 journeys per day.

Since its launch customers have travelled the equivalent of 62 times to the moon and back by covering over 29,717,793 miles with their 26-30 Railcard. The majority of Railcard holders live in the London and South East of England. However, the top 5 most popular locations travelled to so far have been:

• London – Manchester
• London - Cambridge
• London - Birmingham
• Milton Keynes – London
• London – Bristol

The longest journey taken with a 26-30 Railcard so far has been 712 miles from Exeter St David’s to Forres in Scotland. Doing this route with an off-peak return would save you over £87 with a Railcard.

The new 26-30 Railcard is one of a number of measures that the rail industry is rolling out as part of its joint plan to change and improve for customers. Following the largest ever consultation on reforming rail fares to build an easier-to-use system for everyone, which received almost 20,000 responses, the rail industry is finalising proposals to make the case to government for regulatory change and will publish them shortly.

Jacqueline Starr, Managing Director of Customer Experience at Rail Delivery Group said:

“We’re delighted that over 125k people have been able to save over £3.4m on their rail journeys since the 26-30 Railcard went on sale last month. It’s great to see that whilst the majority of 26-30 Railcard customers are based in London and the South East, the introduction of this new Railcard has given them the incentive to travel further afield, which in turn helps to boost local economies. The money people save on their rail journey means they’ll have more money to enjoy the places they are travelling to.”

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said:

“It is fantastic to see how the 26-30 Railcard is already helping to cut fares for over 100,000 young adults on millions of journeys, saving them millions of pounds as they benefit from a third off their travel.

“With a new 16 & 17 railcard set to cut the cost of travel for a generation of travellers and record investment helping to modernise our railways, we are making more progress in ensuring young people get the reliable, frequent and affordable journeys they expect.”

For more information about the 26-30 Railcard, visit http://www.26-30railcard.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors

• Between 2 January and 2 February 2019 customers took 440,863 journeys using their 26-30 Railcard which resulted in a saving of £3,421,028. If this continues 26-30 Railcard customers will save an average of £281 a year.
• Over 100k Railcards were sold within the first two weeks, resulting in 440,863 rail journeys being made by customers within its first month of sale – an average of 574 rail journeys an hour since the 26-30 Railcard went on sale nationwide.
• When you travel by train you can also make great savings on days out at over 250 attractions across Britain. Visit daysoutguide.co.uk for more information.
• National Rail was formed by Britain’s Rail Companies to provide a range of products to help customers save money on their leisure travel, whilst also connecting communities, families and businesses across Britain.
• The National Rail 26-30 Railcard costs £30 a year, a cost that can be made back in just one journey.
• More than four million existing Railcard customers save almost £600million a year – £152 each on average – on rail journeys.
• The 26-30 Railcard gets you 1/3 off most Off-Peak and Advance rail fares to travel across Great Britain. There are tickets, time restrictions and minimum fares, for more information visit 26-30railcard.co.uk

Images and quotes are available upon request.

Press enquiries:
Sarah Apps
Sarah.Apps@raildeliverygroup.com
020 7841 8020