Hello
Hello and welcome to the online home of The British Transport Pensioners’ Federation. The B.T.P.F. provides a voice for everyone who has retired from our great railway industry and has been doing so since 1948.
There are 28 branches with some 4,000 members around the U.K. and Ireland and members of other branches are welcome to go to their meetings, events and visits (booking may be required). Please check the BRANCHES list.
Please also note that all BTPF Branch, Council and National Meetings, Events and Visits, are all covered by our own Public Liability Insurance and must take place within current HMG guidelines.
Please visit the NEWS pages found under the “News” link on the Menu bar at top of page for latest BTPF and Branch news. Also, see the INDUSTRY NEWS page for the latest British Railways news for various media.
Now Meet the Team
Click here for more background information on each member of our team
2nd January 2026
The missed pension payment on 2nd January arose from an incorrect data table within the pay processing system, which caused the system to erroneously recognise Friday 2nd January as a bank holiday thereby regrettably pushing payments out to Monday 5th January.
Where members have incurred costs as a direct result of this incident eg overdraft costs, they are invited to contact Railpen with evidence of their loss in order to obtain reimbursement of the same. Railpen’s preferred contact method is via email (csu@railpen.com), as this provides opportunities to screenshot the supporting evidence of loss and speeds up the reimbursement process, but they can also be contacted via the members portal or the helpline on 0800 012 1117.
The Trustee and Railpen apologise to affected members for the delay in payment of the January pension and the inconvenience this has caused.
Peter Holden
Trustee Director
RBF Free to attend Community Events – 2026
(Dates so far!)
I hope you are doing well and keeping warm! I don’t have as many dates for you as I’d hoped, but I’ll be in touch again once more have been confirmed. Please see below for the ones we have so far:February 16, Derby – Porterbrook’s offices, 1pm – 3pmMarch 6, Manchester – NR Square One, 11am – 1pmMarch 31, London – St Pancras, 11am – 1pmMay 11, Derby – Porterbrook’s offices, 1pm – 3pmAugust 3, Derby – Porterbrook’s offices, 1pm – 3pmNovember 23, Derby – Porterbrook’s offices, 1pm – 3pm Please let me know if you plan on attending any or all of them and as always, please feel free to share with anyone you think may be interested. Just in case you’re feeling a bit chilly, we have a number of free Winter Wellness Essentials for anyone who is a current, former or retired rail worker and in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as universal credit or pension credit. You would get a 2kW fan heater, overthrow electric blanket and double bed electric blanket. You can visit our website for more info – https://www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/ winter-wellness-essentials/ or let me know what number to call you on and one of our lovely services team will give you a call and help you apply Warm regards,
Emma Buckley
Volunteering Co-ordinator
Ph: 0345 241 2885 ext 410
*** Emergency Appeal ***
Click a link in the Index below to jump to the information.
- New R.S.T. PO Box and address – See the Staff Travel News page
- News
- Railway Benefit Fund – November Newsletter
- Railway Benefit Fund – Children’s Fund
- Railway Benefit Fund – How the RBF can help
- Railtrail – Rail escorted tours special offer to BTPF members
- Save FREE TV for Older People
- Concessionary Travel – Burden on Society or an Asset!
- Website Updates – how to update information on your branch page
Head to the News Page of the website to get the latest National and local branch news from the BTPF. Go to Industry News for the latest railway-related news.
RBF November Newsletter
Click below to read or download
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With the school summer holidays ahead of us and the new school year around the corner it’s an expensive time ahead for parents!
Railway Benefit Fund have recently been helping families with music lessons, sports equipment, summer camps, clubs and school uniform.
The fund is available to families with a household income less than £40,000 and it is for a maximum of £300 which can make all the difference when finances are a struggle.
HOW THE RBF CAN HELP
The RBF is the only UK charity solely dedicated to supporting current, retired and former railway employees and their families through tough times. We are proud to say we are there for all railway people.
We are not a membership based charity which means we will help anyone regardless of whether they give to us.
The RBF has a long history of giving financial grants for such things as funeral costs, white goods and household items, debt relief, mobility aids, respite and convalescence costs, home repairs and disability adaptations, rent deposits, car repairs and so on and we still do this but we now also offer: –
Legal Advice through our Law Express App
Debt and budgeting advice through our partnership with Citizens Advice Manchester
Carers’ Support Service via our dedicated support telephone line
Please explore our website www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk for further details or ring our Services Team on 0345 241 2885 Option 1 and we will be happy to assist you or email: support@railwaybenfitfund.org.uk
HOW YOU CAN HELP THE RBF
As the railway industry’s charity we are here to support all and a small monthly gift can make a huge difference to how many of our railway family we can help.
We are almost entirely funded by the generous support of current and retired employees from those who donate £1.00pw through to a larger annual donation we are so very grateful. If you too can support us in this way then please get in contact.
Ring 0345 241 2885 Option 5 to speak to our Finance Manager or look at our website for more information.
A great way to support us is to visit and purchase from our online shop at www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk
For further information, ring our Fundraising Team on 0345 241 2885 option 4 who will be happy to help.
** Special Offer to BTPF members **
10% Discount on UK and Continental Tours
Why not let someone else do the driving and explore superb scenery, experience excellent food, stay in quality hotels and visit stunning destinations. If that’s appealing to you, well you’re on the right track booking with Railtrail Tours
Members may use the code below (once per member) to receive 10% OFF their first ever booking with Railtrail Tours. Codes can be used either when booking over the phone or when booking online via the website.
NOTE:
If the member books multiple tours at the same time the code will be applied to the highest value tour
Book online at www.railtrail.co.uk
or
Telephone +44(0)1538 382323
Remember, booking online or by phone the code should be quoted as BTPF10
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sft
Save Free TV for Older People
Sign the petition HERE
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Concessionary Travel
Burden on Society or Valuable Asset?
by P G Rayner FCILT FIRO Assoc. IRSE MCIM
Click HERE to read the paper (Adobe Reader necessary – get it free here)
Website Updates
Remember – Branches, Groups, etc. OWN THE DATA on the pages
and should keep them up to date to be effective
Because of several difficulties it was agreed in 2019 that website updates should be in the form of a computer file if possible, which will allow the Website Manager and Assistant to directly copy / cut / paste exactly what is submitted, reducing errors and time to get the right results.
It should be noted that the limitations of the website edit system may change lettering styles, etc.
For those who cannot send a file, a typed or printed copy should be sent, for legibility.
The website ‘Contact‘ system is very limited and it changes layouts, etc., so should be avoided unless it’s your only available method.
Submissions should be sent via systems@btpf.org. This ensures that any of the current team can deal with them