Staff Travel News
STAFF TRAVEL NEWS
Booking tickets and reservations at SNCF ticket offices
SNCF has provided some information on the ticket machine codes which are used by SNCF ticket offices when booking FIP discounted tickets using the FIP International Reduced Rate Card, or when booking seat reservations using FIP Coupons. For booking tickets there are different codes for active and retired employees to reflect the difference in discounts available.
As some SNCF ticket office staff may only see customers requiring FIP tickets or reservations infrequently, and there is a difference between some codes for active and retired GB National Rail employees, you may find it useful to have this information if the ticket office staff are unsure of the correct code to use.
The information is published in the section for France in the Travel Tips for Europe guide.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 18th December 2025
Eurostar
Eurostar has merged with Thalys. The Eurostar identity will continue and be implemented on former Thalys services. “Eurostar Blue” will be the brand identify for cross-channel services to and from St Pancras. “Eurostar Red” will be the brand identity for former Thalys services between Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam.
The Eurostar ticket office at St Pancras station has re-opened, replacing the welcome podiums where Eurostar tickets were previously retailed from. This ticket office is able to sell staff discounted tickets as usual for Eurostar Blue services, and also FIP discounted tickets for Eurostar Red services. The FIP fares for Eurostar Red services are published on the RST website www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/europe-and-fip.html#EurostarRed
RST Online and Google Wallet
eTickets purchased through RST Online can be added to a Google Wallet. The email containing the tickets will include a pkpass attachment. This can be opened on an Android or Google Phone and will allow you to add the ticket to your Google Wallet. If you have an Android phone you may need to download the Google Wallet app from the Playstore.
You still need to physically carry your Staff Travel Card to support the use of the discounted ticket.
Flat fares for children accompanying retired employees
Retired employees and their spouse/partner who hold a Staff Travel Card and are aged 60 or over are eligible to take up to 4 children aged 5-15 with them in Standard Class only for a flat fare. The fare can be obtained from RST Online, any National Rail station ticket office or if there is no open ticket office at the start of the journey, a ticket inspector on board a train. Should the ticket office or inspector have problems locating the fare, you should advise them to use railcard PRD. This special fare is only available on presentation of the Staff Travel Card. It cannot be obtained by presentation of a Status Pass.
The tickets for accompanied children are only valid for travel in Standard Class and they must be accompanied by the Staff Travel Card holder. The only options to upgrade Standard Class tickets are by purchasing Weekend First upgrades from the ticket inspector on the train (these cannot be obtained in advance from any ticket office), or by bidding for upgrades on the Seatfrog app. The seatfrog app can be downloaded onto your mobile phone.
The Train Operating Companies have decided that from March 2025, the flat fare will increase from £4.00 to £5.00. The flat fare applies to either a single or return ticket, where an equivalent public ticket exists. If the journey you are buying tickets for only has single tickets available, then you will need to purchase 2 single tickets to cover a return journey.
Also as a reminder, children aged under 5 travel for free with an accompanying adult. Anyone aged 16 or over requires an adult ticket to travel.
By email – 9th December 2025
Changes to FIP on the Paris Tramway
FIP facilities are now valid on Paris Tramway line T14 between Esbly and Crécy-la-Chapelle.
Due to a change in management and operator, FIP facilities are no longer valid on Paris Tramway line T13.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 9th December 2025
Your 2025 allocation of FIP coupons
Each calendar year, those with at least 12 months service who hold a Staff Travel Card (with endorsement NIL, 1, 2, 3, 6 or 8) or a Rail Staff Leisure Card (when employed by a TOC) get an allocation of FIP coupons. Coupons are available for most of the carriers in the FIP Group. You can find a list of what you and your family are eligible for in the Facilities for active staff section of the Travel Tips for Europe guide.
If there are coupons from your 2025 allocation which you haven’t used already, and you intend to use them in the first three months of 2026, you can apply for these up to 9 December using the forms on the RST website
In your application if you put an outward travel date of 31 December 2025, the coupons will come out of your 2025 allocation. You can do this even if your actual outward travel date isn’t until sometime in early 2026. Just remember that the coupons will be valid only until 31 March 2026.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 25th November 2025
Winter 2025-26 Staff Travel Restrictions
NOTE:
The Rail Delivery Group staff travel pages have recently been rearranged and visitors now need to ‘drill down’ to their required TOC restrictions. They are not presented as downloadable files.
If BTPF members would like a simplified list here, or maybe coverted for download, please let us know at systems@btpf.org. If sufficiently popular, I will attempt to add this and keep it up to date.
John T, Assistant Website Manager.
Meanwhile:-
The Staff Travel Restrictions for Winter 2025-26 covering the timetable period 15 December 2025 to 16 May 2026 are available on the Restrictions page.
The restrictions apply to those using all Staff Travel facilities, including Freight Duty Cards, Duty Authority to Travel (DAT) Cards, Residential Passes, Status Passes, Staff Travel Cards, Rail Staff Leisure Cards, RST Online Leisure Cards, TOC specific and group specific cards.
The requirements also apply to those using staff-discounted (priv-rate) leisure and season tickets, even if the holders of these tickets have made seat reservations.
The Staff Travel Restrictions may be further updated during the period of the timetable.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 29th Ocober 2025
The staff travel restrictions in place from 14 December are on the RST website. www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/restrictions.html
There are no trains which are specifically barred to those holding staff travel facilities. However, there is information about upgrades using Seatfrog, lounge access and acceptance of complimentary refreshments.
Please read the restrictions and ensure that all family members in receipt of facilities also read it.
When travelling using your staff travel facilities, priority should be given to fare-paying passengers. Whenever possible, cardholders should travel on lightly-loaded trains. If a train is crowded it is expected that when boarding a train all staff travel facilities holders should stand back to allow fare-paying passengers to obtain seats first.
By email 9th December 2025
Loading tickets into a Google Wallet
For Android and Google Pixel Phone users it is possible to add eTickets to a Google Wallet. On an android phone you will need to install the Google Wallet application from the Play Store.
When you receive your eTickets from RST Online, the PKPass file can be added to the Google Wallet.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 2nd Ocober 2025
Epping and Ongar Railway
Rail Staff Travel is pleased to announce that priv-rate fares are now available on the Epping and Ongar Railway.
Priv-rate fares can be obtained from station ticket offices at the Epping and Ongar Railway. Additionally a Staff Travel Card, Rail Staff Leisure Card or RST Online Leisure Card can be shown to the conductor on the bus link (bus 339) between Epping railway station and North Weald railway station to enable card holders to reach a station where priv-rate tickets can be purchased.
Priv-rate fares are available on normal operating days, but not available on Gala days, Santa specials and the 17.15 departure of the Epping and Ongar Lights Express.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 1st Ocober 2025
Staff discounted (priv-rate) fares for leisure travel are available on the Epping and Ongar Railway. For more information, please see the news page of the RST website www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst/stop-press.html
By email 9th December 2025
Schweizerische Südostbahn
(This news item only applies to employees eligible for the FIP International Reduced Rate Card.)
Within the pages for Switzerland in the Travel Tips for Europe guide, Schweizerische Südostbahn (SOB) is listed as a carrier within the SP (Swiss Private) group. The listing includes the boundaries of SOB operations within which SP coupons are valid.
SOB branded trains also operate services outside of the boundaries listed in the Travel Tips for Europe guide. These services operate under an SBB licence. SP coupons are not valid on these routes, an SBB coupon (or FIP discounted ticket) is required.
The Travel Tips for Europe guide will be updated to reflect this situation.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 1st September 2025
Rail Staff Leisure Card renewal for 2025/26
This news item only applies to holders of a Rail Staff Leisure Card (non-safeguarded employees). It does not apply to holders of a Staff Travel Card (safeguarded employees) who have continuous service in the rail industry since at least 31 March 1996 or holders of the RST Online Leisure Card.
Rail Staff Leisure Cards for employees and eligible family members valid from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026 will be posted out in early October (when the exact date for dispatch is confirmed we will update this news item).
Once the cards have been posted, we will e-mail you to let you know they are on the way. The e-mail will also provide details about how long to wait to report non-delivery and information on how to report non-delivery to Rail Staff Travel.
Normally cards for all eligible family members will arrive in the same envelope. However, if you have only recently added a new family member to your record, or only recently submitted a Child Declaration, the cards may arrive in separate envelopes on different days.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 27th August 2025
TER services operated by Transdev – 26 August 2025
Following a tender process, some TER services between Marseille, Toulon and Nice are now operated by Transdev.
FIP facilities (both FIP discounted tickets and FIP coupons) are not valid on services operated by Transdev.
For the timetable in force to 13 December 2025, all trains numbered from 17466 to 17499 are operated by Transdev. Train numbers are displayed on the video monitors on the platforms of the stations served, as well as in the audio announcements in stations. The front and rear cars display the name of the railway operator.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 26th August 2025
Priv fares on Hovertravel – updated 11 June 2025
Rail Staff Travel is pleased to announce that staff discounted (priv-rate) fares for leisure travel are available on Hovertravel services between Southsea and Ryde Esplanade.
Holders of the Staff Travel Card, Rail Staff Leisure Card or RST Online Leisure Card can avail themselves of the staff discounted (priv-rate) fares at the Hovertravel terminal at either Southsea or Ryde. Hovertravel operate a connecting bus between Portsmouth Harbour station and Southsea Hovertravel terminal.
Dated boxes on Staff Travel Card, Status Passes, Residential Passes and Duty Authority to Travel (DAT) cards are not valid for any free travel on Hovertravel services.
Update 15 May 2025 – Although it was hoped that you would also be able to buy through tickets to and from Ryde Esplanade from the First Bus Travel Shop at The Hard Interchange (bus terminal) at Portsmouth Harbour station this facility is not currently available.
Update 11 June 2025 – Staff discounted (priv-rate) fares from Portsmouth & Southsea to Ryde Hoverport, Ryde St John’s Road, Smallbrook Junction, Brading, Sandown and Shanklin are now available to purchase through RST Online. Please note that RST Online does not make a reservation on a specific hovercraft service, even if a specific service is selected as part of the journey planning process.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 11th June 2025
Surcharges on Eurostar and Thalys (Eurostar Red)
From 1 May 2025 surcharges were introduced on all staff discounted fares on Eurostar and Thalys.
On Eurostar services a fare surcharge on the reservation fee of £5 / €5 on all routes and in all classes applies.
On Thalys (Eurostar Red) services a fare surcharge on the reservation fee of €5 on all routes and in all classes applies.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 16th May 2025
Updates from Rail Staff Travel
Here is a summary of recent staff travel updates
Download or read online
From the Rail Delivery Group – 23rd April 2025
Online ticket purchasing for DB services
This news item applies only to those who hold a FIP International Reduced Rate Card.
DB Fernverkehr AG has provided Rail Staff Travel with some information about their website which retails FIP discounted tickets. The website will let you buy FIP discounted tickets for journeys in Germany, and also for international journeys on DB services which originate or terminate in Germany.
This is the link to the website int.bahn.de/en/buchung/start?KL=2&ET=FIP_SONSTIGE
It is only necessary to specify the journey you wish to make to see the FIP discounted fares. You do not have to select a FIP Card in the “Passenger, bicycles, BahnCards” section on the main search page. FIP discounted fares will be shown once the train service has been selected.
Those travelling with FIP coupons can book seat reservations only using the “Book seat only” selector.
It is not possible for those holding 2nd class FIP facilities to purchase upgrades to travel in 1st class.
Barcode format tickets are delivered by e-mail. They can be printed off or presented on screen using a mobile device. An alternative for users who have created a registered account with DB is to receive tickets directly in the DB Navigator app.
The site is provided as a goodwill gesture by DB without any service level guarantees in relation to the availability of the site. Rail Staff Travel cannot answer any queries in relation to the site or deal with any enquiries in relation to tickets purchase through the site. Employees need to contact DB Fernverkehr AG directly with any booking, refund or ticket usage issues.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 26th March 2025
Staff Travel Card renewal for 2025/26 – updated 19 March 2025
This news item applies only to safeguarded staff who entered rail service on or before 31 March 1996 and hold a Staff Travel Card. This news item does not apply to those who hold the Rail Staff Leisure Card or RST Online Leisure Card.
Staff Travel Cards for employees and eligible family members valid from 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2026 were posted out starting from Tuesday 18 March 2025.
There is an additional letter in the envelope. Please read this as it explains changes coming to the card in March 2026 and what may be required of some card holders.
If you have not received a card for a family member you have only recently completed an application for, these cards will arrive slightly later, and we will email you once they have been posted. There is no need to contact us.
A replacement fee will be charged if you have moved address and not advised RST and cannot retrieve your card(s).
Card holders living in the UK
- if you have not received any card(s) by Tuesday 8 April, please complete the Renewal Post Loss form XX47. If you do not do this by 31 July 2025 you will have to pay a replacement fee for new cards to be issued.
Card holders living in the Royal Mail Europe Zones:
- if you have not received any card(s) by Tuesday 15 April, please complete the Renewal Post Loss form XX47. If you do not do this by 31 July 2025 you will have to pay a replacement fee for new cards to be issued.
Card holders living overseas in the Royal Mail Rest of the World zones:
- if you have not received any card(s) by Tuesday 29 April, please complete the Renewal Post Loss form XX47. If you do not do this by 31 July 2025 you will have to pay a replacement fee for new cards to be issued.