Network Railcard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The earliest version of the Network Card, issued manually rather than through an APTIS machine.

The Network Railcard is a discount pass introduced in 1986 by British Rail, upon the creation of their Network SouthEast area around London, England.

The card was 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 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 identitication 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.

[edit] History

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

[edit] Network Railcard area

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 last version of the Network Card before its post-privatisation renaming. Note the orange band, in contrast to the previous blue colour scheme.

The renamed "Network Railcard" in its first incarnation, used from 1997 until 2002.

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. This version is still in use as of 2006.

The Railcard scheme is administered by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on behalf of the following Train Operating Companies (TOCs), some or all of whose services are within the boundaries of the railcard area:

[edit] 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:

• The West of England Main Line, as far south as Whimple - see the exception below
• Bedwyn on the Great Western Main Line
• The route from Reading to Banbury, incorporating the Cherwell Valley Line
• Northampton on the West Coast Main Line
• Bedford on the Midland Main Line
• Huntingdon on the East Coast Main Line
• King's Lynn on the Fen Line
• Manningtree on the Great Eastern Main Line
• The Harwich branch line (Mayflower Line) from Manningtree to Harwich Town

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 an alternative 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.

[edit] Current area

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

• The Whimple-Exeter St Davids section is now wholly incorporated within the railcard area, although as before discounts are only available on tickets routed via the West of England Main Line
• The Weymouth to Yeovil Pen Mill section of the Heart of Wessex Line
• The Cotswold Line between Oxford and Worcester Foregate Street
• Long Buckby, the next station north of Northampton, was included when Silverlink introduced regular direct services from there to London Euston; these have since ceased, although the station remains within the boundary

This map shows the boundary of the network Railcard area as of 2004; as of 2006, it has not changed, although some of the Train Operating Company names have.

[edit] Exclusions

The following services running within the railcard area are not part of the scheme, and Network Railcard discounts are not available on them:

• The Gatwick Express service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport
• The section of the Heathrow Connect service between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport, as this is subject to a £6.00 flat fare (the only discounts available are for airport staff, using their identity cards)
• Central Trains services between Stansted Airport and Birmingham New Street, which call intermediately at the following stations in the railcard area: Audley End, Cambridge and Ely

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. [1]