Mind the gap – Close the North-South railcard divide
With transport leaders from across the north of England set to meet in Manchester today to set out a vision for better, greener, cleaner and faster connectivity across the North, a transport charity has called for a discount railcard to help address regional inequalities and boost northern economies.
Campaign for Better Transport wants to see a ‘Northern’ Network Railcard to give people living or working in the north of England a third off off-peak rail fares to help make rail travel more affordable, encourage people to take the train and reduce road congestion.
The new railcard would help to address regional inequalities by bringing passengers in the North into line with those in the south east of England who have enjoyed discounted rail fares for almost 40 years thanks to the £30 a year Network Railcard.
Michael Solomon Williams, from charity Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The Network Railcard has been a huge success reducing the cost of travel for passengers and bringing much needed revenue to the railways. We think it’s high time the rail fare North-South divide was closed with rail passengers in the north of England given access to the same discounts as their southern counterparts to help boost northern economies and tackle road congestion by making rail travel more affordable.”
A Northern Network Railcard has support from former transport secretary and current chair of Transport for the North, Patrick McLoughlin.
The Rt Hon. the Lord McLoughlin CH said: “A Northern Network Railcard would contribute to rebalancing the UK economy, finally offering travellers in the north of England a benefit that the South East has enjoyed for almost 40 years. Cheaper off-peak rail tickets would also help to reduce carbon emissions from transport in our region, where almost 70 per cent of car emissions come from non-employment related travel.”
Gideon Salutin, from the Social Market Foundation, said: “The ongoing cost of car ownership is clear to any household managing the bills, and pushes five million British households into poverty. A disproportionate amount of these households are in the North, where there are few alternatives to cars and those that exist lack the incentives available in the South. It is unthinkable that those who live where transport poverty is highest should also live where public transport discounts are lowest. A Northern Network Railcard could change that, lowering costs for those that take the train and increasing the incentive for those that currently don’t.”
Priya Sahni-Nicholas, Co-Executive Director at the Equality Trust, said: “For our economy and communities to thrive, every policy must combat the inequalities holding us back. Affordable and effective public transport is a crucial part of this, but since privatisation our transport networks have become both fragmented and over-centralised. Since 2010 fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages while the south and south east of England has long received more than twice the North’s rail subsidy per household. A Northern Network Railcard can begin to address these systemic inequalities.”
Campaign for Better Transport is calling on the eight train operating companies which cover the north of England to come together to address the North-South railcard divide and give passengers in the North access to the same discounted fares as their southern counterparts.
ENDS
Michael Solomon Williams from Campaign for Better Transport will be attending the Northern Transport Summit on Thursday 21 March at the Radisson Blu, Manchester Airport.
For interview requests, please contact the press office on 07984 773 468 (calls only no texts) or communications@bettertransport.org.uk.
Notes to Editors
- Travellers in London and the South East have enjoyed a third off off-peak rail travel since 1986 in exchange for a £30 annual railcard, the Network Railcard. The Network Railcard is administered by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and involves the cooperation of 18 Train Operating Companies (TOCs). Nothing comparable exists in the North.
- Twelve TOCs operate in the north of England: London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Wales, Northern, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry, LNER, Avanti West Coast, MerseyRail, Hull Trains, East Midland Railway, Grand Central and Lumo.
- 70 per cent of car emissions statistic: https://transportforthenorth.com/wp-content/uploads/TfN-Transport-Decarbonisation-Strategy-At-a-glance-DEC2021.pdf
- The Social Market Foundation is Britain’s leading cross-party think tank.
- The Equality Trust works to improve the quality of life in the UK by dismantling structural inequalities.
- Campaign for Better Transport operates in England and Wales. Campaign for Better Transport’s vision is for all communities to have access to high quality, sustainable transport that meets their needs, improves quality of life and protects the environment. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929).
