Staff Travel News
STAFF TRAVEL NEWS
New FIP member – KMŁ Koleje Małopolskie
From 1 April 2026, KMŁ Koleje Małopolskie has joined the FIP scheme.
Koleje Małopolskie provides local services around Kraków in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. One of the most popular stations is Wieliczka for access to the Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
FIP International Reduced Rate Cards issued to active and retired employees and family members are valid for 50% discounted adult tickets on KMŁ services.
Active employees are eligible for 1 FIP coupon for KMŁ each calendar year.
Safeguarded employees who retire on 1 April 2026 or afterwards, and opt for coupons from their 9 or 45 month allocations will be eligible for KMŁ coupons.
Safeguarded employees who retired before 1 April 2026 and opt for coupons from their 9 or 45 month allocation are not eligible for KMŁ coupons as these were not available to them as active employees.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 20th March 2026
Lumo West Coast services – Update
Open access operator First Lumo Stirling is expected to launch new Lumo West Coast services in Spring 2026 from London Euston, calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds, Larbert and Stirling. www.lumo.co.uk/where-we-go/stirling-london
There is no agreement in place with First Lumo Stirling for the acceptance of any staff travel facilities on these services, as they are not yet operational. This applies to all active and retired staff travel products issued for leisure, residential and duty travel.
Due to the integrated nature of the fares and journey planning systems, tickets and journeys on First Lumo Stirling services may be displayed in RST Online and ticket office systems. Staff-discounted (priv-rate) tickets are not valid for use on any First Lumo Stirling service.
Discussions around a reciprocal agreement are ongoing and we will update our RST news page and staff travel guides when an update is available.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 17th March 2026
Seat Reservations on EMR InterCity services
East Midlands Railway have provided the following update:
During March and April, we plan to increase the number of our new Aurora trains in passenger service. Our new trains have been designed around what matters most to you: comfort, space, connectivity, and a commitment to cleaner, more sustainable travel.
During the transition to our new trains we will be operating two fleets of trains that have different seating layouts. This makes it difficult to provide seat reservations.
We have therefore taken the decision to remove seat reservations on all Intercity services from 1 April 2026 while we transition to our new Aurora fleet. We know this will be disappointing news for some customers but we do not want to provide customers with a seat reservation if we are unlikely to be able to honour it.
From Wednesday 1 April 2026:
– Existing seat reservations for travel on or after this date will no longer be valid (wheelchair and bicycle reservations will remain in place)
– The option to make new seat reservations for travel beyond Wednesday 1 April has now been removed
If you require additional support for your journey, please get in touch: www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/help-manage/manage/contact-us
From the Rail Delivery Group – 6th March 2026
Refunds Change from 1 April 2026
From 1 April 2026 the National Rail Conditions of Travel Refund Rules are changing. These changes will apply to those using staff-discounted (priv-rate) tickets bought through any retail channel.
The public summary of the changes can be found on the National Rail website here www.nationalrail.co.uk/help-and-assistance/compensation-and-refunds/refunds-change/
There is also a fact sheet with more detail media.raildeliverygroup.com/news/ticket-refund-changes-media-factsheet with information on the exceptional circumstances which may apply.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 3rd March 2026
Days Out 2 for 1 offers in February 2026
National Rail’s Days Out Guide has 2FOR1, 1/3 OFF and many more great discounts to places like The Tower of London, London Zoo, the Royal Pavilion Brighton and LEGOLAND centres across Great Britain.
Normally, you would have to buy train tickets to use Days Out Guide offers. But with a Staff Travel Card, Rail Staff Leisure Card or RST Online Leisure Card you can access all of the available Days Out Guide offers.
You can check out the newest attractions and exhibitions on the Find Your Day Out page.
There are also great bargains on West End shows and more with our Theatre Offers. See new shows like Paddington the Musical and Shadowlands, or find tickets for smash-hits Hamilton, Wicked, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon and many more.
Here’s a taster of some of the great money-saving offers available this month:
- 2FOR1 at Tate Britain – Turner & Constable
- 2FOR1 at Kew Gardens, including entry to their annual Orchid Festival
- 1/3 OFF at Warwick Castle
You can register for an account here and find information on how to book your offers here.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 4th February 2026
Status Pass Renewal 2026
This news item applies only to safeguarded staff who entered rail service on or before 31 March 1996 and hold a Status Pass.
The preparations for the issue of Status Passes for 2026-29 (which are valid from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2029) have started. We will be posting them out in June. Once our supplier confirms the despatch date, we will update this news item.
Photographs
Status Passes held by an adult must have a photo which has been supplied within the last 10 years. If the photo we hold for you is more than 10 years old, we will be contacting you requesting a new photo. If you receive this request, then you must submit a new photo to receive your Status Pass in the renewal.
Status Passes held by children must have a photo which has been supplied within the last 5 years. If you have a child dependant who holds a Status Pass and their photo is more than 5 years old, we will be contacting you to request a new photo. If you receive this request, you must submit a new photo of your child dependant for them to be sent their Status Pass.
If your appearance has changed, or the appearance of one of your family members has changed, and you would like to upload a new photo, please submit it using the Photo Upload XX43 form. Photos must be received by 30 April 2026 to be included on Status Passes issued in June.
Child Dependant Checks
If you have a Child Dependant, and their last declaration has expired, or they have now reached an age when a declaration is required, we will be contacting you to complete this declaration. If we do not receive and accept a declaration from you, your child dependant will not be issued with a Status Pass in the renewal.
Address Checks
During March we will contact all those for whom we have an email address, to check that we still have the correct address for you. If you have moved from the address we hold, please submit the Change of Address XX15 form by 30 April. If you move house and do not let us know, we will charge a replacement fee to issue your Status Pass to a new address.
If you are moving between now and March but don’t know the date, please contact us so we can put a temporary hold on your account to prevent cards being issued to an address you might not have access to. You can then let us know when you have your new address and we will post your cards out.
Barcode
The new Status Passes will include a railcard format barcode, bringing them in line with barcodes printed on other cards issued to employees and public railcards. The barcode will not operate station ticket barriers, but will be scanned by ticket inspectors and revenue protection. The Status Passes will continue to include the smartcard technology which will operate station ticket barriers.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 16th January 2026
Guide for Widows and Widowers
We have produced a guide aimed at those who are recently widowed and who have been in receipt of a Staff Travel Card as a spouse or cohabiting partner. It provides basic information on continued provision of staff travel facilities.
The aim is to assist those who have previously relied on an employee to deal with and understand the Staff Travel facilities they are eligible for.
The guide can be found at the end of the Guides page of our website.
Please note that this guide does not cover the arrangement for those retired employees and family who are in receipt of TOC specific facilities only, as the regulations which manage the provision of these facilities are dealt with by individual Train Operating Companies.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 14th January 2026
Changes to FIP on the Paris Tramway
FIP facilities are no longer valid on any Paris Tramway line. The information for France has been updated in the Travel Tips for Europe guide.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 13th January 2026
Seat reservations on EMR Intercity services
During the roll-out of the East Midlands Railway Class 810 Aurora trains, specific seat reservations have been suspended on all EMR Intercity services to and from London St Pancras.
Bookings made for travel on these services with a reservation will include a counted place, but you will not be allocated a specific seat.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 7th January 2026
Staff Travel Card renewal for 2026/27
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.
The preparations for the issue of Staff Travel Cards for 2026-27 (which are valid from 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2027) have started. We will be posting them out around the 3rd week of March. Once our supplier confirms the despatch date, we will update this news item.
Renewal Data Check
To ensure successful delivery we periodically request a number of card holders complete the Renewals Data Check XX22 form. If you were included in this audit we will have emailed or written to you in December. We will not issue your cards until the form has been submitted.
Address Checks
During January we will contact all those for whom we have an email address, to check that we still have the correct address for you. If you have moved from the address we hold, please submit the Change of Address XX15 form by 16 January. If you move house and do not let us know, we will charge a replacement fee to issue Staff Travel Cards to a new address.
If you are moving between now and March but don’t know the date, please contact us so we can put a temporary hold on your account to prevent cards being issued to an address you might not have access to. You can then let us know when you have your new address and we will post your cards out.
Photographs
Earlier this year, card holders were advised that photographs for active employees and their family members will be printed on the 2026-27 cards. If we do not have photographs of active employees and the family members we will not issue Staff Travel Cards until photographs are received.
Where we hold photographs of retired employees and family we will include these on the Staff Travel Card. If we do not hold photographs then the photograph space on the card will contain an image to confirm that separate Photo ID is not required.
Retired employees can provide photographs to RST if they prefer the additional security that this provides. They can be submitted to RST using the Photo Upload XX43 form. If photographs are received by 31 January 2026 we will include them on the cards issued in March 2026. Photographs submitted from February onwards will be stored for the cards issued in 2027.
Barcode
The new cards will include a railcard format barcode, bringing them in line with barcodes printed on Rail Staff Leisure Cards and RST Online Leisure Cards issued to non-safeguarded employees and public railcards. The barcode will not operate the ticket barriers, but will be scanned by ticket inspectors and revenue protection. More information on the barcode will be provided on the carrier letter produced with the cards in March.
From the Rail Delivery Group – 29th December 2025
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
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.