Military veterans are to get discounts on rail travel to help boost job opportunities and bring them closer to friends and families thanks to a new railcard which has been announced today by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps.
The new railcard will be on sale from Armistice Day in 2020 and will extend discounted train travel to more than 830,000 veterans who are currently not covered by other railcards.
Joined by veterans at St Pancras railway station, the Transport Secretary and the Minister for the Cabinet Office highlighted the government's commitment to supporting service personnel.
The money-saving announcement forms part of the government's veterans strategy.
What did the officials say?
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
Every part of society should honour the debt we owe those who've served our country. I'm proud that the Department for Transport, together with other government colleagues and the rail industry, is doing its bit.
This railcard will help open up opportunities to veterans, whether through employment and retraining, or by strengthening links with friends and family. I believe that enabling former service personnel to travel more easily is the least we can do.
Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden, who represents the Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) in Cabinet said:
The Office for Veterans' Affairs was set up to get things done for our veterans. I am pleased to see that the OVA is already able to show it is achieving just this, working with the Department for Transport to deliver this railcard.
Our new action plan will help to make the UK the best place in the world for veterans. The Office for Veterans' Affairs will drive the plan from the heart of government, working to help veterans on jobs, housing and health, through better data and a more joined up approach.
Minister for Defence People and Veterans Johnny Mercer said:
Discounted train travel is a fantastic way to recognise those who have served this country, and the speed at which plans have been worked up shows how seriously we are taking our commitments to make the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran.
The railcard is only the start though, and I'm clear we need to do more to look after the people who so selflessly put their lives on the line to look after us.
Now the action plan has been published, I look forward to continuing to drive forward this issue across government and the services we offer.
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Great ideal for those who have been serving the war. What about a special needs railcard for people who have learning difficulties such as Aspergers Syndrome, Autism (ASD), Downs Syndrome, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, PDSD and other hidden & non-hidden conditions. So that they can get a 1/3 off train travel. Instead of buying a Disabled Railcard which is used for people who are disabled and also covers people who have Cerebral Palsy.