Free travel arrangements for staff on different TOCs.

[Watershed]

Also with Network Rail not running passenger trains would i be correct in presuming they get no free travel on any trains?

I believe there is a regional agreement involving SWR (possibly dating back to the era of the SWT "deep alliance"). Otherwise the only travel facilities I'm aware of are the long-standing 75% discount on season tickets (up to a certain maximum discount amount - see discussion here), plus the "Priv-lite" introduced under last year's pay deal - the 75%-off RST Online Leisure card (details here).

For your discounted travel section, it's worth noting that TOC staff are generally eligible for 75% off season tickets too, like Network Rail staff. But this must be applied for and approved in advance via RSTL - and it is only possible to get this for travel between the nearest stations to your home and work addresses. You can't get it between other stations, even if you have a pass that covers part of the journey.

TOC staff also generally get FIP facilities after 12 months' service - one part is the discount card that gives a 50% discount on most European national railways and a couple of shipping companies, increasing to 75% for SNCF, SNCB, NIR and CIÉ. The other part are the coupons with 4 x 48-hour free travel 'boxes', which you can apply for. Some companies don't offer free travel, but for those that do you can get either one or two coupons per calendar year per railway company, depending on the company (details here).

 

[CyrusWuff]

Chiltern's free travel is Residential, Duty and Leisure travel on Chiltern and CrossCountry, but only Leisure travel on Arriva Rail London/London Overground and Grand Central.

 

[Haywain]

Is the GN/TL and LNER agreement reciprocal? So do GN/TL staff get free residential travel on LNER services?

Yes, it's reciprocal.

Also as GTR is one TOC does this include GX/SN services too like the EMR agreement? Or are GX/SN not part of the agreement?

Probably, but it dates from First Capital Connect days, so I can't be absolutely certain.

I thought the Leeds to York agreement was with LNER and TPE only. I was told by someone a while ago that it was LNER and TPE and doing a quick search online i found an FOI request on WDTK which confirms this. Although maybe it has changed or maybe there is another agreement between LNER and Northern too? Or perhaps it is a three way agreement between LNER and Northern and TPE that they can all use each others trains on the Leeds to York route? I am not entirely sure. If anyone can confirm that would be great.

When I worked for LNER, based in York, the free residential and duty travel between Leeds and York was with Northern only. If there was an agreement with TPE then very few LNER staff knew about it.

 

[michael74]

GWR and XC have reciprocal duty travel (as long as it's within the boundaries of GWR routes).

 

[LKS]

GWR and XC have reciprocal duty travel (as long as it's within the boundaries of GWR routes).

Does that mean that if the train to work location from nearest station was a XC, they would allow free travel?

(Route is a GWR route)

 

[choochoochoo]

Is the GN/TL and LNER agreement reciprocal? So do GN/TL staff get free residential travel on LNER services? Also as GTR is one TOC does this include GX/SN services too like the EMR agreement? Or are GX/SN not part of the agreement?

Yes, it's reciprocal.

Probably, but it dates from First Capital Connect days, so I can't be absolutely certain.

I think the agreement is only as far north as Newark for GN/TL staff residential travel on LNER.

 

[michael74]

Does that mean that if the train to work location from nearest station was a XC, they would allow free travel?

(Route is a GWR route)

Yes, for instance, Newton Abbot to Exeter St Davids GWR staff can get a XC and similarly XC staff can travel GWR Newton Abbot to Plymouth etc

 

[Watershed]

Does that mean that if the train to work location from nearest station was a XC, they would allow free travel?

(Route is a GWR route)

Duty travel means travelling for work purposes, i.e. when you're "on duty". That could be between trains - though usually this would be shown as a pass-ride on your diagram, in which case no duty travel agreement is necessary. More commonly it would be for non-frontline staff to travel from one office or depot to another.

Travelling between home and work is considered "residential" travel, which isn't covered under the GWR/XC agreement. For "residential" travel your travel facilities only entitle you to a 75% discount off a season ticket, available upon application to RSTL.

 

[michael74]

Duty travel means travelling for work purposes, i.e. when you're "on duty". That could be between trains - though usually this would be shown as a pass-ride on your diagram, in which case no duty travel agreement is necessary. More commonly it would be for non-frontline staff to travel from one office or depot to another.

Travelling between home and work is considered "residential" travel, which isn't covered under the GWR/XC agreement. For "residential" travel your travel facilities only entitle you to a 75% discount off a season ticket, available upon application to RSTL.

Apologies, it's residential and duty, staff only (not spouse's or dependants).

 

[Deepgreen]

London Underground / Elizabeth Line / London overground get free bus travel with buses with TfL roundel via the staff oyster, staff pass is also valid on routes on Thameslink for example Farringdon to London Bridge. Also some of the core of Great Northern services which terminate at Moorgate.
Also DLR is included and Trams.
Certain routes to Watford on London Northwestern from Euston

This was included in the OP's list.

There are also limited free travel passes ('boxes') for LU staff on the national network at certain grades and universal free travel at even higher grades.

Less well known were the LT/LU Commonwealth reciprocal free travel arrangements which ended some years ago. These allowed free travel for LU staff at certain grades on railways in Commonwealth countries. When I was at LU, my wife and I used this to travel coast to coast in Canada in 1999, first class and with sleepers, which translated to a total value of about C$6,600! Shortly after we had availed ourselves of this amazing perk, it was discontinued! I often wondered what treats Canadian railways' employees visiting London could enjoy - free travel to Chesham perhaps?

 

[Sussex Ben]

Is there any reciprocal agreements or discounts between Avanti and C2C (as both are part owned by Trenitalia)…?

No agreement between Avanti and c2c.

 

[Ses16]

No agreement between Avanti and c2c.

Confused by that one myself tbh.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Confused by that one myself tbh.

The Trentalia link is a red herring.

Avanti is a First Group TOC and all it's reciprocal travel is under the FG umbrella

 

[Ses16]

The Trentalia link is a red herring.

Avanti is a First Group TOC and all it's reciprocal travel is under the FG umbrella

100% agreed with you on that.

 

[boiledbeans2]

So for TFL TOCs staff they get free travel on LNWR between Euston and Watford and TL between London Bridge and Farringdon (or St Pancras possibly) and GN between Moorgate and Finsbury Park only? I just want to make sure i get the information correct? [...]

See: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/tfl-staff-oyster-nr-validity.265317/

 

[stottyuk]

As CrossCountry staff, we lost free travel on Tyne and Wear Metro several years ago


The other listed operators are correct

 

[TurboMan]

Arrangements between GWR and MTR (Elizabeth line):

• Free duty travel on each other's services between Reading and Paddington, standard class only.
• Staff TUPEd over to MTR from GWR in Dec 2017 are entitled to free duty, residential and leisure travel on GWR services between Reading and Paddington, standard class only. This applies for as long as First Group hold the GWR franchise.
• GWR staff who were employees at Dec 2017 and were identified as having a home station between Paddington and Taplow are entitled to free duty and residential travel on MTR services between Paddington and Reading.

I believe this is agreed on an annual basis so may change at any time.

 

[60074]

Pretty sure that Chiltern, Cross Country and London Overground lost T&W Metro free travel when it went back to Nexus? AFAIK Northern and Grand Central were the only 2 to keep it

Northern staff also get Grand Central, Merseyrail and Tyne and Wear Metro, plus Lumo (Morpeth to Newcastle only). These are both residential and leisure travel.

Consequently these TOCs staff also get to use Northern.

Hasn’t the Northern/ECTL (Lumo) agreement ended now?

 

[pitdiver]

I was always under the impression that only protected staff got the 75% discount on all TOCS.

 

[LowLevel]

I was always under the impression that only protected staff got the 75% discount on all TOCS.

Nah, you get a TOC NE (New Entrant) 75% Leisure card which is valid on pretty much everything nowadays.

 

[driver9000]

I was always under the impression that only protected staff got the 75% discount on all TOCS.

Safeguarded staff employed before April 1996 get boxes free travel and 75% Priv rate.

 

[Folkestonechap]

Does Southeastern include the high speed line? I'm assuming it does.

 

[IanXC]

I thought the Leeds to York agreement was with LNER and TPE only. I was told by someone a while ago that it was LNER and TPE and doing a quick search online i found an FOI request on WDTK which confirms this. Although maybe it has changed or maybe there is another agreement between LNER and Northern too? Or perhaps it is a three way agreement between LNER and Northern and TPE that they can all use each others trains on the Leeds to York route? I am not entirely sure. If anyone can confirm that would be great.

My suspicion is that this agreement predates the split that created Northern and TPE, so its distinctly possible that it is effectively a 3 way agreement but I've also not seen anything in black and white.

As far as Northern - Tyne and Wear Metro goes, I believe all Northern employees can travel on all of T&W Metro, but T&W Metro staff only get free travel on Northern's North East Region - ie Whitby/Darlington to Carlisle inclusive.

 

[Nick7555]

Nah, you get a TOC NE (New Entrant) 75% Leisure card which is valid on pretty much everything nowadays.

Does that mean you can get priv rate on an Oyster card or is it still only for safeguarded staff?

 

[Haywain]

Does that mean you can get priv rate on an Oyster card or is it still only for safeguarded staff?

You can but for 'New Entrants' the priv rate applies only to National Rail services (Overground and TOCs).

 

[LowLevel]

You can but for 'New Entrants' the priv rate applies only to National Rail services (Overground and TOCs).

Indeed. And trying to find a booking office who can put it on nowadays is like finding a needle in a hay stack.

 

[Haywain]

Indeed. And trying to find a booking office who can put it on nowadays is like finding a needle in a hay stack.

Ealing Broadway last time I did it were very good, but you have to go at the right time.

 

[LowLevel]

Ealing Broadway last time I did it were very good, but you have to go at the right time.

It's mostly the fact that in central London you can more or less forget it, you have to go yomping out to smaller stations a bit further out which ain't much good to a provincial yokel

 

[Haywain]

It's mostly the fact that in central London you can more or less forget it, you have to go yomping out to smaller stations a bit further out which ain't much good to a provincial yokel

I agree, it's almost as if they don't want us using it.

 

[RPI]

The GWR and Crosscountry reciprocal agreement is for Duty and Residential travel, is bounded by routes where GWR and XC both operate