rail travel warrant

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e-Initiative of the Defence Account Department E-Ticketing/ Defence Travel System  

• Introduction

1. Introduction

Defence Accounts Department has been one of the pioneers in adopting and leveraging new and emerging technologies in all areas including Accounting, Internal Audit, and Payment and Financial Advice functions. The purpose is to provide value-added services to the Services in an efficient and effective manner. In furtherance of this objective the Defence Account Department came up with the idea of replacing the existing system of manual railway ticketing on warrants/Form D / concession vouchers with an electronic web-based system not only to address issues related to accounting, audit & monitoring in manual system but also to meet the current requirement of Services in a digitally enabled environment.

2. The Background

3. New Defence Travel System

To mitigate various constraints like time consuming manual process, waste of precious man-hours in visiting the PRS counters, difficulty in tracking of manual warrant, lengthy accounting process, budgeting and monitoring issues and with the aim of providing cashless travel booking facility to the units/formations for their employees’ to meet all their travel needs, a new project  ‘Defence Travel System’ was conceptualized by Defence Accounts Department in as early as 2009 by making use of latest digital technologies. The Defence Travel System was a major and right step in the direction of e-governance and digitization towards which a renewed thrust and focus is being laid by the Govt. of India. The services of DTS are available under DTS Travel portal on 24X7X365 days anywhere in India where this facility has been enabled.

4. Development phases

Keeping in view the resources available, wide changing technology and initial constraints from all stakeholders it was thought to implement the project in phases in the following manner:

• Phase I : Implementation of e-Ticketing platform for three Defence Services for rail travel in lieu of railway warrant.
• Phase II : Extending the system to cover Air Travel.
• Phase III : Extending the system to Defence Civilians
• Phase IV: Online submission of TA/DA Claims

The first phase of the project covering Rail Travel was launched in December 2009 in collaboration with IRCTC. Phase-II covering Air Travel has been launched in May 2015 in collaboration with M/s Balmer & Lawrie Co. Around 3200 units have been issued login IDs for using the system so far and approx   5.10 lakh user profile has been created so far and count on this account is increasing day by day. Further, training is being organized by CGDA at 27 stations across India for all Services in coordination with DG (OL & Strategic Move) in parallel to training at Delhi centre. Extension of the system to defence civilians (Phase-III) is under implementation. As part of the fourth phase of online submission of TA/DA claims, a module for on-line requisitioning of DA advance is being developed which will subsequently be integrated with the Pay Accounts Office for proper accounting and monitoring.

5. Benefits Availability of travel planning and on-line reservation system to Defence personnel in remote and far flung areas of their posting is a widely acceptable benefit that has accrued from the project. It has also saved the time required to visit to PRS counters. Further, audit of the travel entitlement and authorization is automatically carried out before allowing the booking itself and real time accounting is possible as rules and regulations are inbuilt in the system. Proper budgetary control can be exercised and different MIS can be generated for informed decision making. Cash handing is nil as all debits and credits are done through pay bills/ledger accounts and hence, possibility of fraud/wrong claim is also completely eliminated.

7. Security Features Entry to the portal www.pcdatravel.gov.in   is through e-Token only by the authorized user. The domain is not made available to the public and https secured protocol is followed for transmission. Three layers security features are available for role based access into DTS Portal:

• Digital Certificate -Without digital certificate (e-Token), DTS Portal cannot be accessed.
• Login Credentials-Credential needs to be provided before entered into DTS portal.
• Security Question- At third layer security question/answer that is randomly generated is asked from the user. If user is not having actual answer, he cannot login to the site.

Once all the above stated conditions are passed, then only the user will be able to log into the DTS portal. Further, User Audit log (with IP address, time and date stamp) is maintained. Exchange with IRCTC is through SSL. At the time of launching of the system in 2010, security vetting of DTS portal was done by Army Cyber Security Establishment of Army HQ, NTRO and also by Cert-In, the nodal agency of Govt. of India. Presently also, security audit for additional features is in progress.

8. Future of the System             The system has enormous potential as it not only caters for meeting the travel need of Defence Personnel’s and Defence Civilians but also has inbuilt features of accounting, audit, authorization and entitlement checks which facilitate generation of different types of MIS and thus enables rule based decision making at all levels. Once the system for on-line submission of DA advance and subsequently TA/DA adjustment claim is developed and implemented (work for which is in progress), the cumbersome system of manual TA/DA Claim will be eliminated and it will complete the cycle of cashless, error free and transparent system of travelling for all the users. This will also ensure better monitoring of available budget by the management who can plan the travel needs in a more effective manner.

Designed, Developed & Maintained By : Controller General of Defence Accounts , Ulan Batar Road, New Delhi - 110010 Best View : 1024*768 pixels

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Account Terms and Conditions

Rail Warrant Account

Season Ticket Rail Warrant Account

Rail Warrant Account Terms and Conditions

1. These terms of business govern the provision of a warrant account (“Warrant Account”) to you by ATOC Limited (“ATOC”). 2. ATOC will charge an annual fee of £275 (£100 for registered charities), which will be payable annually in advance. 3. A statement will be sent by email to the account holder every four weeks and payment will be made by direct debit only and must be paid within 21 days of statement date. 4. All payments will be made to Rail Settlement Plan Ltd (RSP) on behalf of ATOC. 5. ATOC will issue you with a book of warrants (“Warrants”) on payment of the initial annual fee and receipt of a duly completed direct debit mandate. 6. ATOC will charge a fee of £15 for each book of Warrants issued for the Warrant Account, subject to a maximum of 250 books or £3,750 in any one year which will start 1st April and end 31st March. Books ordered beyond the maximum number of 250 during the year will be issued free of charge. All book orders will be subject to review dependant on usage. 7. Warrants duly completed and signed must be exchanged for tickets at a station or travel office of the appropriate railway undertaking, before the beginning of a journey. 8. Warrants may not be exchanged for season tickets of any description. 9. Warrants once completed must not be altered at any time. 10. Tickets issued in exchange for Warrants are subject to the Regulations and Conditions contained in the Publications and Notices of the undertakings upon which such tickets are available. 11. The account holder must pay for all tickets and services given in exchange of Warrants supplied to her/him, whether or not they have been signed and/or presented with her/his authority. Lost or stolen warrants cannot be stopped. 12. ATOC reserves the right to amend the terms of the Warrant Account upon written notice. 13. The contract between ATOC and the account holder may be terminated by either party at any time on written notice. 14. The Warrant Account may be terminated forthwith by ATOC if: the annual fee is not paid on demand; any direct debit payment is not made on time. 15. If any direct debit payment is not made on time there will a fee payable of £25 for non-payment. 16. On termination of the account all unused Warrants must be returned by recorded delivery to ATOC within 14 days of the account being closed and all outstanding balances must be settled in full within 21 days of statement date. 17. The account holder must confirm any amendments to the Warrant Account in writing to ATOC. Where appropriate, notice of any amendment must include a new Direct Debit mandate. 18. ATOC reserves the right to refuse new account applications. ATOC reserves the right to terminate any Warrant Account due to any proposed change to banking details and arrangements by the Warrant Account holder. 19. All Warrants remain the property of ATOC. 20. The account holder will retain liability for all Warrants not returned after the account is closed. 21. Warrants cannot be exchanged for travel tickets bought at a discount using any type of railcard. 22. ATOC and the Warrant Account holder will each comply with the obligations imposed by any Data Protection legislation in force from time to time which implements any data protection directives, including the European Union Directive entitled “EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)”, and is applicable to this Agreement, including the Data Protection Bill in respect of the processing of any information about living individuals and in particular, each will comply with the data protection principles.

Season Ticket Rail Warrant Account Terms and Conditions

1. These terms of business govern the provision of a season ticket warrant account (“Season Ticket Warrant Account”) to you by ATOC Limited (“ATOC”). 2. ATOC will charge an annual fee of £275 (£100 for registered charities), which will be payable annually in advance. 3. A statement will be sent by email to the account holder every week and payment will be made by direct debit only and must be paid within 14 days of statement date. 4. All payments will be made to Rail Settlement Plan Ltd (RSP) on behalf of ATOC. 5. ATOC will issue you with a book of warrants (“Warrants”) on payment of the initial annual fee and receipt of a duly completed direct debit mandate. 6. ATOC will charge a fee of £15 for each book of Warrants issued for the Season Ticket Warrant Account, subject to a maximum of 250 books or £3,750 in any one year which will start 1st April and end 31st March. Books ordered beyond the maximum number of 250 during the year will be issued free of charge. All book orders will be subject to review dependant on usage. 7. Warrants duly completed and signed must be exchanged for tickets at a station or travel office of the appropriate railway undertaking, before the beginning of a journey. 8. Warrants may be exchanged for season tickets only. 9. Warrants once completed must not be altered at any time. 10. Tickets issued in exchange for Warrants are subject to the Regulations and Conditions contained in the Publications and Notices of the undertakings upon which such tickets are available. 11. The account holder must pay for all tickets and services given in exchange of Warrants supplied to her/him, whether or not they have been signed and/or presented with her/his authority. Lost or stolen warrants cannot be stopped. 12. ATOC reserves the right to amend the terms of the Season Ticket Warrant Account upon written notice. 13. The contract between ATOC and the account holder may be terminated by either party at any time on written notice. 14. The Season Ticket Warrant Account may be terminated forthwith by ATOC if: the annual fee is not paid on demand; any direct debit payment is not made on time. 15. If any direct debit payment is not made on time there will a fee payable of £25 for non-payment. 16. On termination of the account all unused Warrants must be returned by recorded delivery to ATOC within 14 days of the account being closed and all outstanding balances must be settled in full within 14 days of statement date. 17. The account holder must confirm any amendments to the Season Ticket Warrant Account in writing to ATOC. Where appropriate, notice of any amendment must include a new Direct Debit mandate. 18. ATOC reserves the right to refuse new account applications. ATOC reserves the right to terminate any Season Ticket Warrant Account due to any proposed change to banking details and arrangements by the Season Ticket Warrant Account holder. 19. All Warrants remain the property of ATOC. 20. The account holder will retain liability for all Warrants not returned after the account is closed. 21. Warrants cannot be exchanged for travel tickets bought at a discount using any type of railcard. 22. ATOC and the Season Ticket Warrant Account holder will each comply with the obligations imposed by any Data Protection legislation in force from time to time which implements any data protection directives, including the European Union Directive entitled “EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)”, and is applicable to this Agreement, including the Data Protection Bill in respect of the processing of any information about living individuals and in particular, each will comply with the data protection principles.

Rail Travel mid 20th Century

Pre-digital travel warrants and passes for service personnel, UK

Travel warrants and passes for absence for men and women in the forces didn't significantly change until the digital era. In fact, it was more or less the same for most of the 20th century, including in the First and Second World Wars . This page describes the system in detail with illustrations and explains why it was necessary. The page concludes with historical notes.

What travel warrants were

A travel warrant, also known as a rail warrant or travel voucher, was a voucher that was issued to an individual or group of service personnel for travel on the railways.

Why travel warrants were issued

Travel warrants could be issued for several reasons, e.g. for travel to a training course or for leave. It was rare, in my experience, for a senior officer to allow travel warrants for other circumstances unless there was a family death.

Travel warrants for leave were always to a pre-designated location which was usually the area of the family home. The distance was immaterial.

How travel warrants were issued

Travel warrants were administered from what was known as a Registry. There was one in every unit of the RAF - a unit being one's place of work. When I first joined the RAF my first unit was the Royal Air Force College Cranwell; my last was a fighter squadron at Conningsby. A registry was staffed by a sergeant, a corporal and one or more Senior Aircrafts Men.

Usually the corporal was in charge of issuing a warrant. He did so in response to receiving an order, also known as a signal, usually from a type of teleprinter. He gave the travel warrant to the person about to travel and submitted carbon copies at intervals to Station Head Quarters for accounting purposes. New recruits had their travel warrants posted to them.

From travel warrant to train ticket

It was a good idea to get to the railway station early with one's travel warrant as the ticket office had to translate it into tickets. Many years ago, as a sergeant in the cadets, I had to present a warrant for myself and about 20 other cadets to travel from Birmingham to a remote station in Oxford. The ticket clerk was unfamiliar with the warrant system and we nearly missed the train!

A travel warrant ticket for a member of Her Majesty's Forces travelling on leave. It is date-stamped on the back as 4th January 1954 and is courtesy of Tony Harris.

Note from the webmaster

Because the ticket in the photo is marked THIRD CLASS it shows that ordinary forces personnel were not expected to travel in much comfort. As explained on the page about classes of train travel, third class travel was very basic and was already being phased out while I was growing up in the 1940s. As far as I know, my working class family never even had the option of travelling third class after WW2. Yet this ticket is dated as late as 1954. It is for Southern Railways, so possibly different lines had different policies.

I remember passenger train tickets being pale green. So has this one faded over time or were forces' tickets a different colour, as were platform tickets ? If you can clarify or add anything, please contact me.

Warrants and reimbursement for non-rail travel

In my experience there never were bus warrants. If you had to take a bus after the train, you kept the ticket and submitted it with a travel claim (Form 1771). You could also detail timings so you could be reimbursed for missed meals and what were called "incidentals". Eventually you might see the money again!

I do recall a travel order for a ferry. On one occasion I was issued one for a ferry that had ceased to run about 10 years earlier! The system was also notorious for trying to issue rail warrants long after that particular line was closed!

Passes for absence issued with travel warrants

For much of the 20th century, service personnel were expected to travel in uniform. This meant that they could be instantly recognised, so might be accused of being Absent Without Leave (AWOL) - something not uncommon in wartime when so many men had been forced to join up. To meet such an eventuality, the services issued passes along with their travel warrants. These were for inspection by any authority to show that the individual concerned was absent from his or her place of work with the agreement of the commanding officer. (Nowadays service personnel are not required to travel in uniform as it singles them out for terrorist attacks.)

1940s army pass for being absent from quarters for the purpose of travelling to Rome. Provided by Alan Bennett from his father's papers.

1944 army pass for being absent from quarters/duty for the purpose of travelling to Cairo. Provided by Alan Bennett from his father's papers.

A pass can be for annual leave, for 24 or 48 hours for a day or a weekend off, or just for part of a day away from the base. Nowadays a pass is usually referred to as a leave pass and is permission to be away from ones place of duty.

Passes were even required for leaving the camp/barracks just for an evening. In the armed forces, every second of every day belonged - and still belongs - to someone else. So if you were off-base for an evening, you had better have had permission!

Both warrants and passes are a feature of military life, regardless of whether a war is on.

H istorical note on military travel warrants and passes

During my time in the RAF I had access to archival material from the 1950s which confirmed that the travel warrant system was more or less as described above. Several of the post- World War Two national servicemen mention travel warrants on this website. My father's leave passes mention travel by warrant and are dated earlier still, namely 1941. I also understand that T E Lawrence (of Lawrence of Arabia fame) mentions being given a travel warrant when he was posted to RAF Cranwell which must have been in the mid-1920s. So the warrant system must have been around from at the least the Great War if not before.

One of my older friends was a pay clerk in the RAF in the early 1950s and he confirmed that its administrative systems were pretty much the same down the ages, the only real change came with the digital era. In particular pay then started being paid into bank accounts rather than in a pay parade .

If you can add anything to this page or provide a photo, I would be pleased if you would contact me.

sources: early 20th century material       sources: ww2 home front and other material      contact the webmaster/author/researcher/editor      privacy policy

Operational Guidelines: Free Travel Scheme

From Department of Social Protection  

Published on 1 September 2019

Last updated on 23 November 2023

• 1. Legislation
• 2. Administration
• 3. Description of Scheme & Qualifying Conditions
• 4. Eligibility For Free Travel
• 5. Obtaining A Free Travel Card
• 6. Application Guidelines
• 7. Free Travel Entitlement Monitoring
• 8. Requests For Case Review
• 9. Appendix 1 - Eligibility For Companion Free Travel
• 10. Appendix 2 - Special Free Travel Arrangements
• 11. Appendix 3 - Cross Border Free Travel
• 12. Appendix 4 - All Ireland Free Travel Scheme (AIFT)
• 13. Contact Us

Legislation

The Free Travel Scheme is non-statutory, having been introduced and extended by Ministerial Announcement.

Administration

The Free Travel Scheme is administered by Free Travel Section. For contact details, see ‘Contact Us’ section at the end of this guide.

Description of Scheme & Qualifying Conditions

What is free travel.

The Free Travel Scheme operated by the Department of Social Protection, allows people who are aged 66 years or over and who are legally and permanently residing in the State, to travel free of charge on most CIE public transport services, LUAS, as well as on the public transport services of a large number of private operators in various parts of the country. Certain incapacitated people under age 66 are also entitled to free travel.

CIE services are provided by Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus. A list of private operators who participate in the Free Travel scheme is also available at: www.gov.ie/freetravel.

Permanent residents of the Aran Islands and Tory Island may avail of Free Travel on scheduled private air services between the Islands and the mainland. Free Travel on these services, to and from the Aran Islands (only) is available to non-resident Free Travel Card Holders at a reduced rate - See Appendix 2 of this Guide for full details.

Free Travel is also available on Cross-Border bus and rail journeys between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Details of the special arrangements which apply to Cross-Border Free Travel are given in Appendix 3 of this Guide.

In addition, the All Ireland Free Travel Scheme will entitle Free Travel recipients aged 66 years or over to travel for free on transport services operating internally within Northern Ireland, using a Senior SmartPass card. See Appendix 4 for full details.

Eligibility For Free Travel

You will qualify for Free Travel, if you are legally resident and living permanently in the State on an all-year-round basis and are aged 66 years or over. If you are under age 66, in addition to permanently residing in the State you must satisfy any of the conditions listed from (a) to (d) below.

Also, to avail of the Free Travel entitlement, you must register for a Public Services Card. When registered, a Public Services Card which identifies entitlement to Free Travel will be issued.

Eligibility conditions if under age 66 and permanently residing in the State

You must satisfy any of the conditions listed from (a) to (d) below:

a. be a recipient of one of the following payments

• Invalidity Pension
• Blind Person's Pension
• Disability Allowance (DA)
• Carer's Allowance (you may get a single status card only, if you are aged under 66)
• Incapacity Supplement or Workmen's Compensation Supplement with Disablement Pension, for at least 12 months
• a Social Security Invalidity, Incapacity Pension or Benefit, or an equivalent payment for at least 12 months, from a country covered by EU Regulations (see below for details), or from a country with which Ireland has a bilateral Social Security Agreement (see below for details)

b. be a specified carer for a person getting Constant Attendance Allowance or Prescribed Relatives Allowance from this department (you may get a single status card only, if you are under age 66)

c. be blind or severely visually impaired and you satisfy the medical conditions for a Blind Pension.

d. be a widowed person or surviving civil partner aged between 60 and 65 years inclusive, whose late spouse or civil partner held a Free Travel Card or Paper Pass from this department, and who at the time of their death, resided with them on a permanent basis, and who is now receiving one of the following payments and who satisfies the other conditions of the scheme:

• Widow’s Widower’ or Surviving Civil Partners Contributory or Non-Contributory Pension
• Widow’s Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partners Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefits Scheme
• One-Parent-Family Payment
• Widow's or Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme
• An equivalent Social Security Pension or Benefit from a country covered by EU Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement
• an ORDINARY Garda Widow's Pension from the Department of Justice

Countries covered by EU Regulations

Countries with which ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, “make work pay” initiative – 5 year extension to free travel entitlement.

From 6 April 2017 if you are in receipt of a long-term disability payment and move off the payment to get a job, you will retain your entitlement to Free Travel for a period of five years, providing all other qualifying conditions for the Free Travel Scheme are satisfied. The following schemes are considered as long-term disability payments and you will be entitled to retain your Free Travel entitlement for a further period of 5 years, where you previously had the entitlement to Free Travel on the scheme(s):

• Invalidity Pension (INV)
• Invalidity Pension to Partial Capacity Benefit
• Disablement Benefit paid along with Incapacity Supplement
• Customers who transferred from DA or INV to CE Scheme
• Customers who transferred from DA or INV to SOLAS Scheme
• Customers who transferred from DA or INV to Back to Work Scheme 

Obtaining A Free Travel Card

A Free Travel Card will be issued automatically at age 66 if you are registered for the Public Services Card and getting a pension from this department. Likewise, if you are under age 66, a Free Travel Card will issue on being awarded an Invalidity Pension, Blind Person's Pension, Disability Allowance, or a Carer's Allowance.

In all other circumstances, you must apply for a Free Travel Card by completing an application form for the Free Travel Scheme (FT1) which is available to download at: www.gov.ie/freetravel. It’s also available from your local Post Office or nearest Department of Social Protection Intreo Centre. The completed form, along with any supporting documentation required, should be forwarded to the Free Travel Section.

If you are not registered for the Public Services Card, you will be issued with a letter requesting you to make an appointment to register. If you do not register for the Public Services Card, you cannot avail of the Free Travel Scheme.

Free Travel For Your Spouse, Civil Partner or Cohabitant

Where you are married, in a Civil Partnership or co-habiting, you may be entitled to a Free Travel Card that will allow your spouse civil partner or cohabitant to accompany you free of charge when travelling. (This does not apply to persons under age 66 who are in receipt of Carer's Allowance or who are nominated carers for people getting a Constant Attendance Allowance or Prescribed Relatives Allowance from this department).

Free Travel For A Companion (if you are unfit to travel alone)

If you qualify for Free Travel and are medically unfit to travel alone, you may be entitled to a Companion Free Travel Card. This type of card allows any one person, aged 16 years or over (not necessarily your spouse civil partner or cohabitant), to accompany you free of charge, when travelling. The conditions for receipt of a Companion Free Travel Card are set out in Appendix 1 of this Guide.

When a Free Travel Card can be Used

A Free Travel Card may be used to travel free of charge on the following transport services at any time on scheduled services:

• Dublin Bus (AIRLINK and Special Airport services are excluded)
• NITELINK services
• Bus Éireann & Bus Éireann expressway services
• Go-Ahead services in the Outer Dublin Metropolitan area, Dublin commuter and Waterford services.
• provincial city services.
• Transport for Ireland Local Link services.
• participating private bus and ferry services
• participating Cross-Border scheduled services (Between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - See Appendix 3)

When Is Free Travel Not Available?

Free Travel is not available:

• on services which are not listed in the official rail and bus timetables of Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann or Irish Rail
• on excursion and special bus or rail services
• on organised group journeys
• on Dublin Bus AIRLINK services
• on Dublin Bus special Airport services
• on First Class or Super Class travel on any service (unless the appropriate fare supplement is paid)

How To Use A Free Travel Card or Paper Pass

Free travel card.

Please check with the individual operator for availability of Integrated Ticketing Systems (ITS).

Using your Free Travel Card on Dublin Bus

1. If travelling on your own, touch your card against the Validator on the right-hand side as you enter the bus until you hear the beep and see the green light flash.

2. If you have a companion or spouse with you, place your card on the reader by the driver, and request a ticket for that person: who should have the ticket ready for inspection at all stages of the journey

Using your Free Travel Card on Irish Rail services (including DART)

1. When travelling on your own and you are travelling on Intercity from stations with electronic or automatic gates, tag on with your Free Travel Card to open the gates. At all other Intercity stations, you will need to visit the ticket desk and request a ticket to travel. If the station is unmanned, you may board the train providing you have your Free Travel Card in your possession.

2. If you have a companion or spouse with you, you will need to visit the ticket desk and request a ticket for that person, who should have the ticket ready for inspection at all stages of the journey. If the station is unmanned, you may board the train providing you have your Free Travel Card in your possession.

Using your Free Travel Card on Luas services

Touch your card against the Validator on the platform before and after your trip. Remove the card when you hear a beep or see the green light.

Using your Free Travel Card on all other bus services

1. If travelling on your own, place your card on the card reader either at the bus entrance or by the driver. Remove the card when you hear a beep

2. If you have a companion or spouse with you, tell the driver who will issue them with a ticket.

Need assistance when travelling with your Free Travel Card?

Do not hesitate to ask a driver or any member of staff who will be able to assist you.

Free Travel Paper Pass

If travelling by Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann including Bus Éireann expressway or on private bus operator services, you must produce your Free Travel Paper Pass to the bus driver on boarding the bus. A bus ticket is not issued, nor required.

Before using Irish Rail services, you must present your Free Travel Paper Pass at the ticket booking desk in the train station of departure, to obtain a free rail ticket. If undertaking a day return journey only, you will be issued with a Day Return ticket.

In all other cases, a Single journey ticket will be issued, and a further Single journey ticket must be obtained before making the return journey.

When using Private Ferry services, you should present your Free Travel Paper Pass to the Ferry Operator. In some instances, a ticket will be issued.

Evidence Of Identity

If you have a Free Travel Card, you do not need to provide extra proof of identity.

However, if you have a Companion or Spouse Free Travel Card and your companion or spouse, civil partner or co-habitant travelling with you, they may be asked to provide proof of identity.

Whenever you are travelling using your free travel entitlement, you must produce your Free Travel Paper Pass for inspection to an Inspector of the Transport Operator or to an Official of the Department of Social Protection, if asked. If considered necessary, you and your accompanying spouse, civil partner or cohabitant must also produce evidence of your identity by providing a sample of signature or photographic ID to the officials mentioned above. These officials have the authority to confiscate a Free Travel Paper Pass if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the pass is being misused.

In addition, if you live in Dublin, Cork city, Waterford city, Limerick city or Galway city you must also produce a Free Travel Photo ID if you have a Free Travel Paper Pass.

You may also be required to provide proof of identification irrespective of where you reside or photographic identification. This may be a condition of travel as outlined by the travel operator in question, but notification of this should be advertised by the operator either on their bus or by way of their website so that all intending passengers are fully aware of all documentation necessary to travel.

What To Do If The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass Is Lost, Stolen Or Damaged?

If your Free Travel Card is lost, stolen or damaged the card holder should contact 0818 837 000 to request a replacement

The department no longer issues Free Travel Paper Passes. If your Free Travel Paper Pass is lost, stolen or damaged, you should contact your nearest Department of Social Protection Intreo Centre to arrange an appointment to register for the Public Services Card. When you have registered, you will be issued with a Public Services Card which identifies that you have an entitlement to Free Travel.

In What Circumstances Must a Free Travel Card or Paper Pass Be Returned?

In the event of any of the following occurring, the Free Travel Card or Paper Pass must be returned to the address given below:

• The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass holder is no longer in receipt of the qualifying payment which entitled them to free travel
• The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass holder does not continue to reside on a permanent basis in the State.
• The Free Travel PAPER pass holder changes address. (Free Travel Paper Pass holder will be required to register for the Public Services Card)
• The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass holder no longer satisfies the criteria applicable to their particular Free Travel entitlement. (Companion status will be amended as necessary, and appropriate replacement card will be issued)
• The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass is worn or illegible.
• The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass holder is deceased.

Misuse Or Fraudulent Use Of The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass

The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass is very valuable, is for your personal use only and is not transferable for use by any other person. It remains the property of the Minister for Social Protection. The misuse of the Free Travel Card or Paper Pass is a fraudulent offence. You may be prosecuted under relevant bye-laws applicable to the transport company. Fraudulent use includes giving the Free Travel Card or Paper Pass to another person or reproducing the Free Travel Card or Paper Pass. The department takes any claim of misuse of a Free Travel Card or Paper Pass very seriously and where it is found that you are fraudulently using the Free Travel Card or Paper Pass or have given your Free Travel Card or Paper Pass to another person to use fraudulently, your entitlement to Free Travel will be reviewed.

Events which may affect entitlement to the Free Travel Scheme

The following is a list of events that may affect your entitlement to Free Travel and if any of these events occur or your circumstances change, you must notify the department immediately:

You are no longer in receipt of a qualifying payment from this department. (See Free Travel Scheme for qualifying criteria)

• Your marital status changes.
• You are no longer living permanently in the State.

The Free Travel Card or Paper Pass should be returned to the Department of Social Protection on the death of the holder.

Application Guidelines

Need to apply.

Free Travel will be awarded to you automatically if you are age 66 years and over, legally resident and living permanently in the State and in receipt of a pension from this department. To avail of the Free Travel entitlement, you must register for a Public Services Card. When registered, a Public Services Card which identifies entitlement to Free Travel will be issued.

Likewise, if you are under 66 years of age and in receipt of an Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disability Allowance or Carer’s Allowance, Free Travel will be awarded to you automatically. To avail of the Free Travel entitlement, you must register for a Public Services Card. When registered, a Public Services Card which identifies entitlement to Free Travel will be issued.

In all other circumstances you must apply for the Free Travel Scheme by completing an Application Form for the Free Travel Scheme (FT1) which is available to download at: www.gov.ie/freetravel. It’s also available from your local Post Office or your nearest Department of Social Protection Intreo Centre. The completed form along with any supporting documentation required should be forwarded to the Free Travel Section.

Please Note:

Before completing the FT1 you should visit www.gov.ie/freetravel for details of the qualifying conditions for the Free Travel Scheme.

Completing the Form

You should ensure that the following has been done before submitting your application form:

• Registered for the Public Services Card
• PPS Number (Personal Public Service) is supplied. If you do not know this number, please contact your local Department of Social Protection Intreo Centre).
• Application form is signed and dated.
• Birth or Marriage Certificates are enclosed (only if born or married outside the State)
• Medical certification, where necessary, is enclosed.

Free Travel Companion

See Appendix 1 of this Guide.

Free Travel Entitlement Monitoring

How long does free travel entitlement continue.

If you are aged 66 years or over, Free Travel entitlement continues as long as you are permanently residing in the State.

If you are under 66 years of age, Free Travel entitlement continues as long as you are legally and permanently resident in the State and continue to receive one of the qualifying payments for Free Travel listed in Section 3 of this Guide.

Free Travel Retention

If you transfer to another payment from the Department of Social Protection, or participate in certain types of community work projects:

If you are in receipt of Free Travel and receiving Disability Allowance or Blind Person's Pension and you transfer to a Back-to-Work Enterprise Allowance scheme, you may retain your entitlement to Free Travel for the duration of the BTWA payment.

If you are in receipt of Free Travel and participate in a Community Employment project, an Employee Support Scheme, or a Pilot Project for People with Disabilities, you may retain your entitlement to Free Travel for the duration of the project.

If you are in receipt of Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance or Blind Pension, you may retain your entitlement to Free Travel on transfer to another primary long-term Department of Social Protection payment (excluding Jobseeker's Benefit or Allowance, Illness Benefit and Pre-Retirement Allowance, One-Parent Family Payment and Carer's Benefit or as a Qualified Adult on your spouse civil partner or co-habitant’s payment).

If you transfer from any primary payment (and had an entitlement to Free Travel) to receive an Increase for Qualified Adult (IQA) on your spouse’s, civil partner’s, or cohabitant’s DSP payment, you will lose your entitlement to Free Travel.

What Happens If The Free Travel Recipient Dies?

The representative(s) of the deceased should return the Free Travel Card or Paper Pass to the Free Travel Section.

Requests For Case Review

As the Free Travel Scheme is a non-statutory scheme, there is no legislative right of appeal to the Social Welfare services Office. However, if you are dissatisfied with a decision in relation to your application for Free Travel you are entitled to a review by another and more senior official of the department.

In order to have a decision reviewed you should write to the Free Travel Section stating in detail why you think the decision is incorrect. The case will be considered fully and fairly, and you will be notified in writing of the outcome, at an early date.

Appendix 1 - Eligibility For Companion Free Travel

A Companion Free Travel Card entitles you to have any one person, aged 16 years or over, to accompany you free of charge when travelling. Entitlement to the Companion Free Travel Card may be subject to periodic review.

The following people are eligible to receive a Companion Free Travel Card:

Free Travel Cardholders aged 66 or over if:

• you are aged 66 to 69 inclusive and are medically assessed as unfit to travel alone.
• you are aged 70 or over and are medically unfit to travel alone.
• you are receiving full-time care and attention from someone who is getting Carer’s Allowance from this department.
• you are certified by either the Irish Wheelchair Association or by your GP as being a permanent wheelchair user.
• you are blind or severely visually impaired and satisfy the blindness condition for the Blind Pension or you are registered as a blind person with either the Vision Ireland or the National League of the Blind of Ireland

Free Travel Cardholders aged under 66 if:

• you are getting Disability Allowance or Invalidity Pension or Disablement Pension and Incapacity Supplement and are medically assessed as unfit to travel alone.
• you are blind or severely visually impaired and you:

- are getting a Blind Pension or

- satisfy the blindness condition for the Blind Pension or

- are registered as a blind person with either the Vision Ireland or the National League of the Blind of Ireland.

• you are getting one of the qualifying payments listed at Section 3 and you are certified by either the Irish Wheelchair Association or by your GP as being a permanent wheelchair user.
• you are receiving full-time care and attention from someone who is getting Carers Allowance from this department. To qualify for a companion pass based on this condition, you must be entitled to a Free Travel Card in your own right. See conditions for free travel
• you are a widowed person or surviving civil partner aged between 60 and 65 years inclusive, whose late spouse or civil partner held a Free Travel Card from this department, and who at the time of their death, resided with them on a permanent basis, is now receiving one of the following payments, is medically assessed as unfit to travel alone and who satisfies the other conditions of the scheme:

- Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partners Contributory or Non-Contributory Pension

- Widow’s, Widower’s, or Surviving Civil Partners Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefits Scheme

- One-Parent Family Payment

- Widow’s, Widower’s, or Surviving Civil Partners Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme

- An equivalent Social Security Pension or Benefit from a country covered by EU Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral social Security Agreement

- an ORDINARY Garda Widow’s Pension from the Department of Justice

Free Travel Companion Card for a visually - impaired child:

A visually impaired child will qualify for a Free Travel Companion Card if they are under age 18 and either they:

• satisfy the blindness condition for a Blind Pension, or
• are registered with the Vision Ireland or the National League of the Blind of Ireland

Appendix 2 - Special Free Travel Arrangements

Airline service to and from the aran islands, co. galway.

If you have a Free Travel entitlement and are residing on a permanent basis on any of the Aran Islands (i.e., Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, Inis Oírr), you are entitled to travel free of charge on Aer Arann services from the islands to Galway City and vice versa. Aer Arann operates an airline service between the Aran Islands and Aerphort Chonamara at Indreabhan, Co. Galway. The company also provides a shuttle bus service between Aerphort Chonamara and Galway City.

You may undertake up to 12 single journeys (or up to 6 return journeys) between the Aran Islands and Galway City each year. Any number of additional journeys may also be made at a special reduced rate. Where the appropriate type of Free Travel card is held, your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant may accompany you free of charge on these trips. If you hold a Companion Free Travel Card, any one person, aged 16 years or over, may accompany you free of charge.

If you are not permanently residing on the Aran Islands you may travel on Aer Arann's airline and bus services between Galway City and the Aran Islands at a reduced cost. Your spouse, partner or a companion may accompany you at the reduced rate, where the appropriate type of entitlement is held. (This concession also applies to Northern Ireland Travel Card holders undertaking cross-border journeys to and from the Aran Islands (but not to their spouse or companion, unless they are a Card holder in their own right - See Appendix 3, first paragraph).

Helicopter Service To and From Tory Island, Co. Donegal

If you have a Free Travel entitlement and are residing on a permanent basis on Tory Island, Co. Donegal, you are entitled to travel free of charge on the helicopter service, which is operated during the Winter period only, between the island and Falcarragh on the mainland. You may undertake up to 8 single (or up to 4 return) journeys each year. Your spouse, civil partner, cohabitant, or companion may accompany you free of charge, where the appropriate type of Free Travel entitlement is held.

Appendix 3 - Cross Border Free Travel

Cross-border free travel.

A Free Travel Card or Paper Pass may be used to travel free of charge on cross-border journeys between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and vice versa. Your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant may accompany you free of charge where the appropriate type of entitlement is held. Alternatively, if you hold a Companion Free Travel Card or Paper Pass, any one companion aged 16 years or over may accompany you free of charge.

If you are a resident of Northern Ireland who holds a Northern Ireland Concessionary Travel Card, you may also travel free on cross-border journeys. However, your spouse civil partner or companion is not entitled to Free Travel on such journeys unless they also hold a Concession Travel Card in their own right.

Extent Of Free Cross-Border Journeys Available

A Cross-Border Free Travel journey must originate in one jurisdiction and terminate in the other jurisdiction.

The Cross-Border journey may be undertaken using one mode of transport only i.e., bus or train. It is not possible to use a combination of both modes of transport.

The journey must be undertaken on the basis of one through-ticket. This means, for example, that you can travel free by train from say, Cork to Belfast, provided that the free ticket which you obtained in the Cork railway station clearly denotes Belfast as the final destination. The same principle applies when travelling by bus on Cross-Border journeys.

Transport Operators Who Provide Free Cross-Border Travel

The following Transport Operators provide Cross-Border Free Travel services for both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Free Travel recipients:

• Bus Éireann
• Halpenny Transport Ltd., Blackrock, Dundalk, Co. Louth on their service Blackrock to Newry.
• Patrick Gallagher, Brinalack, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal on his route Dungloe to Belfast
• Foyle Coaches, Clar, Redcastle, Co. Donegal on their routes Shrove to Derry and Malin head to Derry.
• Leydon Coaches, Swanlinbar, Co. Cavan on their route Swanlinbar to Cavan and Enniskillen.
• Hugh McGonagle, Cockhill, Buncrana, Co. Donegal on his route Cockhill Buncrana to Derry.
• Philip McGonagle, Cockhill, Buncrana, Co. Donegal on his route Cockhill Buncrana to Derry.
• John McGinley, Gortahork, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal on his route Moville to Derry and on to Dublin.
• Citibus also known as Dublin Coach on their route Dublin to Belfast.

Travelling By Bus

When travelling by bus, your Free Travel Card or Paper Pass should be presented to the bus driver, on boarding the bus, before departure.

On Bus Éireann and Ulsterbus services, the bus driver will issue you with a single journey ticket. This ticket is valid on the date of issue only. If you wish to undertake a return cross-border bus journey, you should get a single journey ticket for the outward part of the journey, and later, a further single journey ticket for the homeward journey.

If travelling with any of the other bus operators mentioned in above, you will be issued with either a single or a return journey ticket as required.

Travel by Rail

To undertake a cross-border journey by train you must first complete a Travel Warrant. Warrants are available in most train stations in Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, in Department of Social Protection Intreo Centres (Republic of Ireland) and in Offices of the Department of Social Security (Northern Ireland). You should present the completed warrant and your Free Travel Card or Paper Pass at the ticket desk in the train station of departure. You will then be issued with either a free single or a free return Standard Class ticket as required.

The Free Travel entitlement is Standard Class travel. If you wish to travel "First Plus" class, you may do so on payment of the appropriate fare supplement.

To avoid unnecessary delay at the ticket desk, you should complete the Warrant well in advance of undertaking the rail journey and obtain a free rail ticket at least 15 minutes before the train is due to depart.

Breaks In Cross-Border Rail Journeys

It is not necessary to complete a Cross-Border Free Travel train journey in one day. For example, if travelling from Cork to Belfast, you may spend up to 2 nights in Dublin as part of your journey. However, the outward part of the journey must be fully completed within 3 days of the date of issue of the ticket.

Transfer Between Connolly And Heuston Railway Stations

If, as part of a Cross-Border Free Travel rail journey, you have to transfer between Connolly and Heuston stations in Dublin, you may travel free of charge on the LUAS red line.

Refunds or Discounts

No monetary refunds or discounts will be given for late train departures, or for any other delays experienced while undertaking a Cross-Border Free Travel journey.

Appendix 4 - All Ireland Free Travel Scheme (AIFT)

What is the all ireland free travel scheme.

Since April 2007, the All Ireland Free Travel Scheme allows you to travel for free on the various travel services operating within Northern Ireland.

Similarly Northern Ireland Senior SmartPass holders are entitled to travel for free on services within the Republic of Ireland using their existing Senior SmartPass.

Who can travel?

• To qualify for free travel within Northern Ireland, you must be in receipt of a Free Travel Card or Paper Pass and be aged 66 years or over.
• Under the terms of the concessionary fares scheme in Northern Ireland, only Free Travel recipients over age 66 are entitled to travel free of charge in Northern Ireland. Your spouse, civil partner, cohabitant, or companion is not eligible to accompany you for free in Northern Ireland under this scheme.
• Similarly, only the Northern Ireland Free Travel recipient is eligible for Free Travel in Republic of Ireland. Spouses or companions are not eligible.
• If you have a Companion or Spouse Free Travel Card, your spouse, partner, or companion may continue to travel you for free on cross-border journeys (that is, journeys starting in the Republic of Ireland and ending in Northern Ireland or vice versa).
• If you wish to avail of All Ireland Free Travel within Northern Ireland, you must first obtain a Senior SmartPass card. This Senior SmartPass must be used while travelling in Northern Ireland only.

Obtaining a Senior SmartPass

An application form for Senior SmartPass (FTNI1); available from Department of Social Protection Intreo Centres, or Citizens Information Centres, must be completed. As these forms are individually bar coded, photocopies cannot be used. The completed application form must be brought in person to your nearest Department of Social Protection Intreo Centre (See note below) along with:

• A recent passport standard colour photograph
• Evidence of identity (driving licence, passport, or any other form of photo id, if available)
• Evidence of address (a recent utility bill, e.g., electricity, gas, phone, waste charges bill or a bank, building society or credit union statement)
• Your current Free Travel Card or Paper Pass

Your application will be forwarded to the authorities in Northern Ireland who will send you your Senior SmartPass card, together with instructions for use, by post direct to your home address. It may take up to six weeks to process your application.

A Senior SmartPass card will expire after 5 years. If you used the Senior SmartPass card within the last 2 years, a new card automatically issues in the post from Translink when the card expires.

If you have not used the Senior SmartPass card in the last 2 years, you will be sent a renewal application form from Translink.

If you have never used the Senior SmartPass card, you will not hear from Translink at all. You must contact Translink by email at: [email protected] or by phone on: 0044 2890759129. Translink will then send you a renewal application.

You can find the name and address of your local Department of Social Protection Intreo Centre at www.gov.ie/intreocentres

Free Travel Section

• Return to main Free Travel Scheme page.
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• Free Travel Scheme

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Travel Warrents - do they expire?

• Thread starter wintonian
• Start date 4 Feb 2013

Established Member

As in the title really do travel warrants have to be used with in a certain time limit?  

RailUK Forums

wintonian said: As in the title really do travel warrants have to be used with in a certain time limit? Click to expand...

RJ said: Warrants are supposed to be used exactly how the issuer filled them out. It would otherwise be foolhardy to give blank warrants out. Rail Travel Vouchers also have to be used within the specified validity period. It's at the issuer's discretion whether they wish to re-issue unused, expired vouchers. Click to expand...

wintonian said: But lets suppose someone was given a blank but signed warrant. and no I do not intend to use such a warrant before you all jump in and tell me how dishonest I'm being and should therefore be convicted of fraud and sent to prison. Click to expand...

Veteran Member

Another interesting warrant fact is that the company whose warrant it is must pay irrespective of the signature appearing on the warrant!  

Verified Rep - FastJP

island said: Another interesting warrant fact is that the company whose warrant it is must pay irrespective of the signature appearing on the warrant! Click to expand...

RJ said: Whatever details are written on the warrant is exactly how the ticket the warrant is exchanged for must be issued. This means the ticket(s) must be issued from the date(s) shown on the warrant. There is no open period of validity for a warrant, other than the date(s) shown when it is presented in exchange for a ticket. Click to expand...

SickyNicky said: Correct. If we were to lose one of our warrant books we would be liable for all tickets purchased, even expensive first class tickets from one end of the country to another. So we keep them under lock and key. Click to expand...

wintonian said: But what if such an organisation no longer has an account and a warrens is presented at the station? Click to expand...

trentside said: In the event, a brief would be issued advising staff that the account is no longer open but a book appears to be in fraudulent use - normally after one is presented. If staff were aware the warrant account is closed then the warrant would be withdrawn, and not exchanged for a ticket. Click to expand...

wintonian said: That makes sense - though I would suggest there's a bit of horse, stable, bolt if such a warrant needs to be exchanged first. Click to expand...

trentside said: I must admit that I'm not sure of the formal process when a company ceases to have a warrant account - but I'd imagine under normal circumstances they return their unused warrant books, so it doesn't become a problem. It's only an issue when this isn't done or a rouge book escapes into circulation. Click to expand...

I've come across a passenger I suspected of using stolen warrents. When I say stolen, I got the impression she was abusing her position at work (can't remember what the warrent said on it now), but had the feeling she was writting out warrents for herself to get to work and back two or three times a week. Suppose she wasn't defrading the railways, as the fare would be met by her company, but I suspected she was stealing from her company. Anyway, I reported her to control and my manager, which was as much as I could do. Whether anything came of the matter or not I'll never know.  

John @ home

trentside said: I'd imagine under normal circumstances they return their unused warrant books, so it doesn't become a problem. Click to expand...

John @ home said: I'm a former rail travel warrant book holder. My recollection is that, when a book was no longer required, the instructions were to destroy unused warrants locally. Click to expand...

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Support to help with the cost of transport

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Published 5 December 2013

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-to-help-with-the-cost-of-transport/support-to-help-with-the-cost-of-transport

1. Concessionary bus travel

In 2012-13, 9.7 million older people and disabled people made £1,016 million bus journeys using a statutory English National Concessionary Travel Scheme pass – the scheme provides travel for free on local bus services anywhere in England, between 0930 and 2300 during weekdays and anytime at weekends and bank holidays.

The scheme is administered at a local level by Travel Concession Authorities (TCA). Many TCAs provide enhancements to the statutory scheme, which for example allow for free or discounted travel before 0930 or on other modes of transport.

More details on enhancements provided in each TCA

See more details on how to apply for an older person bus pass

See more details on how to apply for a disabled persons bus pass

2. Rail Cards

A range of railcards are available that offer discounts on rail travel. These include:

16-25 Railcard

This provides up to 1/3 off rail fares to those aged 16-25 or full time students. It is reported to provide an average saving of £145 per year.

Family and Friends Railcard

This provides up to 1/3 off rail fares to those travelling with children aged 5-15. It is reported to provide an average saving of £117 per year.

Senior Railcard

This provides up to 1/3 off rail fares to those aged over 60. It is reported to provide an average saving of £83 per year.

Network Railcard

Provides up to 1/3 off rail fares for the cardholder and up to 3 others in London and the South East.

Disabled person’s Railcard

Provides up to 1/3 off rail fares for the card holder and a companion. It is reported to provide an average saving of £94 per year.

See more details on eligibility to the disabled persons railcard

See more details on how to apply for these railcards

HM Forces Railcard

This provides up to 1/3 off adult rail fares and 60% off kids’ fares for members of the Regular forces, their spouses and dependent children aged 16 or 17.

See more details on how to apply for an HM Forces railcard

Regional Railcards

A number of other railcards are offered for use in specific geographical locations or on certain lines of a route.

See more details on these regional railcards and how to apply for them

3. Support for young people

Local authorities offer a range of travel support for young people. These include:

Home to School Transport

Local authorities currently spend around £1 billion every year providing free transport to and from school. At a minimum this covers pupils travelling more than 2 miles (for those under 8 years of age), pupils travelling more than 3 miles (for those aged 8 or over) and those unable to walk to school due to their Special Educational Needs.

Extended Rights to Free Home to School Transport

There is an additional entitlement to free travel for children from low income families (that is those entitled to free school meals or whose parents receive the maximum working tax credit). Local authorities were allocated around £38 million in 2013-14 to provide this transport.

See more information on the range of support offered by your local authority

Care to Learn

Care to Learn provides support with the cost of childcare and associated travel costs to ensure these do not prevent young parents (under the age of 20) from participating in education. Care to Learn supports around 6,500 young parents every year.

See more details on eligibility and how to apply for this support

16-19 bursary

The bursary provides support for those aged 16-19 participating in education or training who face additional barriers to staying in education. The most vulnerable young people may be entitled to a bursary of at least £1,200 per year while discretionary bursaries are provided at the discretion of education providers.

See more details on eligibility and how to apply for the 16-19 bursary

Discretionary learner support

Those aged 19 or over and facing financial hardship could be eligible for support through the discretionary learner fund. This includes support for the cost of travel (e.g. through the provision of travel passes or reimbursing the cost of fuel).

See more details on eligibility and how to apply for discretionary learner support

4. Support for the unemployed

Jobcentre plus travel discount card.

This is provided to those unemployed claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit for 3-9 months (18-24 year olds) or 3-12 months (over 25s). Other benefit recipients may receive a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card from 3 months of their claim and if they are actively engaged with a Jobcentre Plus adviser. Cardholders are entitled to a 50% discount on selected rail tickets.

Flexible support fund

May be used at the discretion of Jobcentre Plus staff to help with the cost of travelling to an interview, training or for the first months of travelling to work.

Further information on the support available for the unemployed can be found in your local Jobcentre Plus office. See more details on how to contact your local Jobcentre Plus office

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Concessionary rail travel

West Midlands Trains

The police officer’s valid Warrant Card is evidence of entitlement to free travel. Police officers are not required to purchase a ticket for travel wholly within the designated concession area. On the West Midlands Network this refers to travel between London Euston and Northampton only.

Hertfordshire Police/Bedfordshire Police/Thames Valley Police

Northamptonshire Police/Staffordshire Police

Uniformed, plain clothes and off duty of the above forces are permitted to travel free at all times on the West Midlands Train service on production of a valid Warrant Card.

Note Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) can travel free of charge for duty purposes i.e. in uniform, but not for residential or leisure purposes.

There are two concessions open to Hertfordshire Police officers on local trains.

Police officers are entitled to free travel whether in uniform or in plain clothes and on or off duty. These are entirely separate from the arrangements in place for the Metropolitan Police and are unaffected by their recent changes. They are as follows: Transport for London

Hertfordshire Police officers, on production of their Warrant Card, are entitled to free travel on London Buses, London Underground, Tramlink, Docklands Light Railway and London overground services. Please see the below document for more information. Thameslink/Great Northern Railway Ltd

Thameslink /Great Northern Railway Ltd have authorised the existing arrangements for free travel for Hertfordshire Police officers to continue for the life of the franchise.

You must produce your Warrant Card as authority to travel.

The concession is for travel between the below stations and all stations in between:

• Bedford to London Thameslink Stations (St Pancras International/Farringdon/City Thameslink/London Blackfriars/London Bridge – Thameslink trains only
• Peterborough to London King’s Cross/St Pancras International and all stations to London Bridge – Great Northern and Thameslink only
• King’s Lynn - Cambridge – London Kings Cross/St Pancras International and all stations to London Bridge – Great Northern and Thameslink only

The concession only applies to officers AFTER they have completed their 16-week training.

Special Constables can only travel free of charge when travelling to or from a prearranged police duty.

Please note - it is your responsibility to know what train lines have the concession. If you are found to be travelling on any other lines or companies, or acting not in accordance with the agreement, PSD may be informed and you may be subject to a criminal and/or misconduct investigation.

The concession includes off duty and in or out of uniform

• Standard travel only not first class.
• There will be an expectation that if called upon by a conductor that you will assist them. If you don’t want to be called upon then pay for the journey.

For example, while there would be a duty to intervene if you witnessed an incident there may well be times when an incident occurs three carriages away that you would not be aware of.

By showing your Warrant Card you are indicating that the conductor may come to you to assist in an incident that you would otherwise be unaware of. As such if officers are aware that they will not be in a practical position to provide such assistance (this could be through a number of reasons such as intoxication or caring for a child/vulnerable person) then careful thought needs to be given before using the concession.

• If you are travelling with family and friends then they must hold valid tickets for the journey.
• If asked by a conductor to pay then you must pay. Politely request the conductor's name and then report the matter to the Police Federation who will ensure the conductor is appraised of the agreement to ensure it doesn't happen again. This does not mean you will get a refund.

It must be stressed to all officers that these are concessions not entitlements, if asked to pay please do so .

Professional Standards are aware of these concessions and, providing that you use them within the parameters as set, fully support them.

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415 . When the above certificate forms are presented by the the persons authorized to travel, it should be seen that the entries in the certificate forms are complete in all respects, that they bear the signature of the issuing officer and the stamp of the issuing office and that the instructions printed on the forms are fully complied with. After the certificates have been scrutinized and found to be in order, ordinary printed card or blank paper tickets, as the case may be, should be" issued in exchange for the same, the number of tickets and the cost debit able to the Ministry of Defence being noted on them, except in the case of military certificate Form IAFT. 1714, for which payment may be accepted by cheques on the State Bank of India or Government Treasuries or by cash, as may be convenient in each case. When payment is made by cheques, it should be seen that commission charges for cashing cheques are included in the total amount of the cheques. The certificate duly completed with regard to the accommodation provided and weight booked will be submitted to the Traffic Account Office along with the passenger classification return at the end of the month, while the other certificates will be treated as vouchers and sent to the cash office along with daily cash remittance note duly entered in the list of vouchers. 416 . Military concession forms:- The following concession forms for travel of military personnel are in use:-

417 . Issue of tickets in exchange of military concession forms:- Before issuing tickets in exchange of a concession certificate referred to in para 416, it should be seen that the certificate is complete in all respects, bears the stamp of the issuing office as well as signature of the issuing officer and that no alterations have been made in the certificate. It should also be seen that other instructions printed on the reverse of the concession certificate have been observed. 418 . After the certificate has been carefully scrutinized and found to be in order in all respects, ordinary card or blank paper tickets, single or return journey, as the case maybe, should be issued on recovery of the fares due in cash. The concession certificates should be sent to- (i) Traffic Accounts Office When second class tickets are issued in exchange for concos along with the relevant- sion forms, 

passenger classification (ii) Cash office as voucher .. When AC sleeper/first class tickets are issued in exchange for concession certificates referred to in para 416. 419 . AC sleeper/First class tickets issued at concessional fares in exchange for military concession forms will be accounted for in the daily train cash book-cum-summary and passenger classification at full ordinary fares, credit being taken for the amount not collected in cash on the authority of the concession vouchers. Total fares due, amount collected in cash and the difference debitable to the Ministry of Defence will be shown separately by the Booking Clerk on the top of each concession form. 420 . Military personnel found travelling on unexchanged warrants. —Military personnel detected travelling on unexchanged warrant Forms IAFT. 1707 and IAFT. 1752 will be dealt with as under— (i) when detected at destination, the fare due plus excess charge will be collected in cash : the warrant will also be collected, marked 'cancelled' and sent to the Traffic Accounts Office along with the relevant excess fare return (Com./R-19 Rev.); (ii) When detected en route, the fare due plus excess charge will be recovered in cash upto the point of detection and an excess fare ticket (Com./T-12 Rev. or Com./T-13 Rev.) granted : a second excess fare ticket for the remaining portion of the journey will be issued free of charge and the warrant collected : if the warrant is available for the return journey, a separate excess fare ticket will be issued free of charge for the return journey; the date of availability as shown on the warrant being endorsed on the excess fare ticket: in the free excess fare tickets, particulars of the warrant and of the paid excess fare ticket already issued should be given : full particulars of all the excess fare tickets issued should also be entered on the warrant : the warrants should be scrutinized to see that they are complete as laid down in paras 404 and 412 (b). 421 . Military personnel found travelling with unexchanged certificates and concession forms- Fare plus excess charge due in the case of public traffic will be recovered, and an excess fare ticket issued except in the following cases:—

422 . Military personnel travelling with unexchanged warrant on Guard's certificate- When military personnel are unable to get their warrants exchanged for tickets at the starting station and advise the Guard or Conductor of the train or any other staff authorized in this behalf before undertaking the journey, the latter should issue a certificate that the passengers have been permitted to travel on the condition that they subsequently get the warrants exchanged for excess fare tickets at the next stopping station where there is time or even earlier if they can contact the ticket checking staff. In such cases, the warrants will be collected and free excess fare tickets covering the journey from the starting station to destination station shown in the warrants will be given to them. The particulars of the warrant should be entered in the excess fare ticket, and similarly, the particulars of the excess fare ticket issued should be shown on the warrant. 423 . Military personnel travelling with unexchanged concession form IAFT. 1720-A, IAFT. 1728 or IAFT. 1736 with Guard's certificate.- When military personnel are found travelling with unexchanged Form IAFT. 1720-A, IAFT. 1728 or IAFT. 1736 but holding a certificate from the Guard or other authorized railway servant, they should be charged the concessional fare due on the concession form from the starting station to destination without any excess charge. 424 . Disposal of unexchanged warrants collected by checking staff.— The unexchanged warrants collected by the checking staff vide paras 420 (ii) and 422 will be made over to the Booking Clerk along with the cash earnings under an acknowledgement which will be obtained on the back of the record foil of the relevant excess fare ticket Full particulars of the warrant together with the station name at which it was made over to the Booking Clerk for onward submission to the cash office will be entered in the remarks column of the excess fare return. The Booking Clerk receiving the warrants will account for them, in the daily train cash book-cum-summary, as if the warrants were exchanged at his station for that portion of the journey for which free excess fare tickets have been issued. The warrants will be sent to the cash office along with the day's earnings duly entered in the list of vouchers. These will also be accounted in the relevant Government passenger, baggage, etc. returns and under the head 'Government passengers' in the station books and coaching balance sheet to be submitted to Traffic Accounts Office at the end of the month. 425 . Military personnel travelling on unexchanged warrants or other forms. refusing or unable to pay fares and excess charge.— In the event of the military personnel refusing or being unable to pay fares or excess charge due as mentioned above, action under section 137 or 138 of the Railways Act, as appropriate to the circumstances, should be taken. 426 . Permission to commence journey after date of issue of ticket (IAFT. 1720B).— In cases where personnel holding tickets issued in exchange of military certificates IAFT. 1720A are permitted by the military authorities to travel upto 14 days after purchase of tickets, a permit in form IAFT. 1720B will be issued and carried by the passenger with him. On completion of the journey, the permit together with the ticket will be handed over to the Ticket Collector at destination for submission to the Traffic Accounts Office along with other collected tickets. Any alteration in this form renders it null and void. 427 . Misuse of military warrants, certificates and concession forms.— (a) To guard against the misuse of military warrants, certificates and concession forms, the military personnel at the time of exchanging these vouchers should be asked to show: (i) the first page of the Pay Book which contains a photograph of the holder in the case of Junior Commissioned Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and other ranks; or (ii) The Identity Card in the case of officers, (b) When families travel unaccompanied from the duty station, warrants will be exchanged by the head of the family personally establishing his bona fides. Unaccompanied families moving from their home stations, however, should not be asked to produce Pay Books or Identity Cards at the time of exchanging warrants, concession forms, etc. (c) Recruits, pensioners and T.A. personnel are not in possession of Identity Cards/Pay Books : they should be asked to show their call-up notice at the time of exchanging the forms. 428 . High Official Requisitions. —When High Officials of the Central or State Governments entitled to reserved accommodation travel over any railway, they furnish the Station Master at the starting station with a requisition which is in two portions. Both portions of the requisition contain a certificate which should be signed by the Station Master after filling in the details of accommodation provided. It should be specifically indicated whether, or not other than the authorized persons also travelled in the same carriage/compartment The number of tickets held by such persons should be recorded in the certificate and if no other passenger travels, the word 'no" should be written in the appropriate place on the certificate and the words 'on first class single journey ticket Nos. .......................' scored out The outer foil of the requisition duly signed and stamped by the Station Master will be returned to the official, and this will constitute an authority for him to travel in the reserved accommodation provided and will be collected at the destination station for submission to the Traffic Accounts Office along with other collected tickets. The inner portion retained by the Station Master will be treated as a voucher and submitted to the cash office along with the day's earnings, duly entered in the cash remittance note. Full particulars of the accommodation provided and the charges due should be entered in the daily train cash book-cum-summary against the distinct head 'high Official Requisition",'. Charges due, on these requisitions should be accounted for in the relevant passenger classification with full particulars and remarks. A list of high officials, together with the accommodation to which they are privileged, is given in the I. R. C. A. Coaching Tariff. A specimen of the High Official Requisition is appearing at Appendix IV/C. 429 . Police warrants and Jail requisitions. —Police officers travelling on duty are permitted to purchase railway tickets by means of police warrants or jail requisitions. The following rules should be observed when tickets are thus purchased:— (i) all warrants and jail requisition should bear the machine number, the name of the District and the State, the stamp of the issuing office and the designation of the issuing officer; warrants will be issued by the Reserve Inspectors or Sub-Inspectors at the Headquarters and by such Inspectors and Officers incharge of police stations as are supplied with books for the purpose; jail requisitions will be issued by Superintendents of Jails or Magistrates in the case of transfer of under-trial prisoners; (ii) no one above the rank of an Inspector (in the case of police warrants) and Chief/Head Warder (in the case of jail requisitions) is entitled to travel under a warrant/requisition, and such a warrant/ requisition, if presented by any police/jail officer above that rank, should be refused; (iii) as members of the railway police are given free passes, they are not allowed to travel on these warrants, but they may use these warrants for the conveyance of all prisoners whether connected with railway cases or not; the railway police officials, however can use these warrants when required to undertake journeys beyond the places covered by the free passes issued to them; (iv) all entries should be in ink; all alterations should be attested, and no erasure may be made; if any warrant is rendered illegible owing to corrections or otherwise, it should not be accepted; (v) special care should be taken to see that the number of position shown in column 4 of the warrant is the same as shown in column 3, in the event of the actual number travelling being less than the number entered in column 3, the person in charge of the party should alter the entries in column 3 under his dated signature to agree with those in column 4 if the incharge of the party is unable to write, he should take it to the nearest officer empowered to issue warrants who should correct and sign it for him;  (vi) warrants or jail requisitions should be exchanged only at the station at which the journey is authorized to commence; (vii) in exchange for the warrants and jail requisitions, ordinary tickets of the class required should be issued; their numbers being quoted separately in the daily train cash book-cum-summary as well as in the passenger classification return itself or in a separate statement to be appended thereto : the warrants and requisitions should be treated as vouchers and sent daily to the cash office along with the cash remittance note duly entered in the list of vouchers : specimen of police warrant and jail requisition are appearing at Appendix IV/D and IV/E, respectively. 430 . Police and jail officials found travelling on unexchanged police warrants/ jail requisitions.— Police/Jail officials detected travelling on unexchanged warrants or requisitions will be treated as travelling without ticket, and fare plus excess charge upto the point of detection should be recovered in cash and a free excess fare ticket issued for the remaining portion of the journey on collection of the unexchanged warrant/requisition. Full particulars of the excess fare ticket, fare and excess charge collected will be shown on the police warrant or jail requisition. The forms will be made over to the Booking Clerk for onward submission to the cash office duly entered in the cash remittance note as explained in para 424. 431 . Privilege ticket orders. —Privilege ticket orders are issued by departmental officials of the railway, authorizing the issue of tickets to railway servants and their families at one third of the ordinary single fare. Each order is prepared in three counterfoils, and the entries in them are made in ink. One foil is retained by the issuing office, while the two outer foils are given to the employee. Both the foils are presented by the holder at the booking office for the issue of tickets. The inner foil is retained by the Booking Clerk while the outer foil is delivered to the employee along with the tickets. On completion of the journey the tickets along with the foil should be collected by the Ticket Collector for submission to the Traffic Accounts Office along with other collected tickets. The foil privilege ticket order retained by the Booking Clerk will be submitted to the Traffic Accounts Office along with the relevant passenger classification return in support of charging reduced fares. 432 . Issue of tickets in exchange of privilege ticket orders.— Before issuing tickets in exchange of privilege ticket orders, the Station Master should carefully observe the following instructions:— (i) it should be seen that the privilege ticket order is presented at the station to which it is addressed during the period of its availability; that it is complete in all respects, bears the stamp of the issuing office and that there are no alterations or erasures on the order; tickets should not be issued if any of these instructions are not complied with; (ii) when the employee himself is included in the privilege ticket order, he should invariably present the order personally at the booking office and sign both the portions of the order in the presence of the Booking Clerk : the Booking Clerk should compare the signature of the employee as executed in his presence with that already appearing in the order, and if the signatures do not tally, the ticket must not be issued and the order should be sent to the Divisional Office with a complete report endorsing a copy thereof to the issuing office; when, however, the employee himself is not included in the order, or if included does not travel, the signature or left hand thumb impression of a member of the family should be obtained; (iii) a lesser number of tickets than that shown on the order may be issued provided the actual number of tickets received by the holder is certified on the face of the order . (iv) the word "Privilege" should be written in ink or stamped on the obverse of the tickets issued in exchange for the ticket order, the number and class of tickets issued being quoted on both portions of the privilege ticket order. 433 . Exchange of privilege ticket orders or tickets of a class other than that shown in the order.— If the holder of an order elects to travel in a class higher than that shown in the order, the difference between the full fare of the class shown in the order and that of the class in which the holder wants to travel should be realised in addition to the one third fare for the class shown in the order. A privilege ticket order can also be exchanged for tickets of a class lower than that for which the order is available on collection of one third fare for such lower class, provided the class of tickets issued is certified by the holder on the face of the order. 434 . When the holder of a privilege ticket order exchanges it for a ticket of a class higher or lower than that for which the order is available, he will be entitled to free allowance of luggage, availability by mail trains, and number of attendants as indicated below—

435 . If the class of accommodation to which a privilege ticket is entitled is not provided on any portion or portion of the journey covered by the privilege ticket order, a combined ticket should be issued at the request of the holder for the entire journey, the fares being charged as under—

In such cases, the Booking Clerk should make 3 clear endorsement on the tickets as ".............class from........to...................and..............class from...........to.............". 436 . Travelling on unexchanged privilege ticket orders. —If the holder of a privilege ticket order fails through any cause whatever to exchange it for a ticket before the commencement of the journey, he will forfeit the concession and be treated as travelling without ticket and dealt with accordingly. 437 . Privilege ticket orders not transferable.— Privilege ticket orders are not transferable, and any railway servant improperly disposing of them is liable to prosecution and to dismissal from railway service. 438 . Concession orders.— (a) Railway administrations allow certain concessions in rail fares. The persons eligible for, the conditions applicable to, and the authority competent to grant, each kind of concession and the fares chargeable are notified in the I. R. C. A. Coaching Tariff. Unless otherwise authorised by the railway administration, ordinary tickets for the class required should be issued in exchange for the concession orders. (b) Station Masters and Booking Clerks should scrutinize concession orders carefully before exchanging them for tickets and specially see that— (i) the documents bear the stamp of the issuing office ; (ii) these are signed in the proper places ; (iii) alterations, if permissible, are duly attested by the issuing office ; 

(iv) these are presented within period of availability ; and (v) these are complete in every respect. Reduced fares will not be passed by the Traffic Accounts Office in case any of the above conditions are not fulfilled. 439 . Acknowledgement for tickets issued at concessional fares on the authority of concession orders. —When tickets are issued to exchange of a concession order the holder or one of the party must be asked to record his acknowledgement on the concession order for the actual number of tickets of each class received. 440 . Return tickets at concessional fares on the authority of concession orders.— When return tickets are to be issued, paper return ticket forms should be used, and the period for which the return half is available under the terms of the concession should be legibly inserted in the ticket (see also para 259). 441 . Issue of concession certificates to students.— (a) The concession certificates in the form of books are supplied to the recognized schools/colleges by the Headquarter or Divisional Office of the area in which schools/colleges are situated, at cost price, on receipt of a written requisition from the institution. The books are given different series or codes for each Railway Headquarter Office or Division so as to facilitate identification. A proper record of the supply of books is kept by each Headquarter/Divisional Office in a manuscript register. A statement of books supplied to each school/college must immediately be sent to the Traffic Accounts Office along with a list of stations at which the tickets for the outward journey are to be issued in exchange of concession certificates. The amount collected from the sale of books will be remitted to the Station Master of the Headquarter station duly entered in miscellaneous receipt transmit note in Form G. 1403, and the Station Master will account for the money in his daily trains cash-book cum-summary as 'sundry receipts'. (b) Each institution will select a station or stations (not more than four) serving the particular area where the concession certificates issued by it will be exchanged for tickets for the outward journey. The names of the selected stations will be advised to the Headquarter/Divisional Office concerned, and the selected stations will be furnished with a specimen of stamps of school/colleges and specimen signatures of Head of Institutions, who will sign the concession certificates. The schools/colleges will send to the Traffic Accounts Office, in whose jurisdiction the original starting stations fall, by the 10th of every month, a statement in form appearing at Appendix IV/F, showing the particulars of concession certificates issued during the previous month. (c) The concession certificates as shown in Appendix IV/G are printed in three counterfoils each marked 'Counterfoil', 'Concession order' and 'Student foil'. These are issued to students, by the Head of the Institution in which they are studying, for their travel between their homes, educational institutions, examination centres, etc., separately for the outward and the return journeys. The certificates are machine numbered and should be filled in ink. Before the Head of the Institution parts with the certificate, the concession order must be got signed by the student, or, when the certificate is in favour of a party, by one or more leaders of the party. The 'counterfoil' will serve as the office copy for the school/college, and the 'concession order' and the 'student foil' are required to be presented intact to the Station Master at the time of purchasing the tickets. The Booking Clerk should ask the holder to sign on the 'student foil' in his presence, for the purpose of comparing the signature appearing on the 'concession order'. If the signatures tally the tickets will be issued and the particulars thereof will be entered on both the portions which will be stamped with station stamp and signed by the Station Master. The 'concession order', will be detached and retained by the Booking Clerk and the student foil will be returned to the holder for surrendering at the destination station along with the tickets. The ticket along with the 'student foil' will constitute an authority for the student to travel by rail. Students, found travelling without the 'student foil' will be treated as travelling without ticket and dealt with according to the relevant rules applicable to such passengers. In the case of children i.e. below twelve years but above five years, it is not necessary to insist on the signatures of the students being affixed in the presence of the authorized railway staff for the purpose of comparison. 442 . Exchanging of student concession certificates for tickets.— For verifying the genuineness of the concession certificates, the stations selected should have a ready statement, preferably on a cardboard, of the specimen of stamps and specimen of the signatures of the Heads of the schools/ colleges and the serial number of the books issued to them. In the case of return journeys, both the 'concession order' and the 'student foil' should be presented to the Station Master of the originating station, i.e., the station from where the outward journey is to commence, who will verify and make an endorsement about the genuineness of the certificate, affixing his signature and station stamp. If the certificate is not so endorsed, the station from which the return journey is to commence, will refuse to issue concessional tickets. 443 . Recording of particulars of concession orders on blank paper tickets, luggage tickets, etc.— (a) Full particulars of the concession order, i.e., its number and date and designation of the issuing officer on whose authority the concession has been allowed, must be noted on blank paper tickets, luggage tickets and waybills issued in connection therewith. Cross-reference of the tickets, etc., issued should also be given on the concession order. (b) Full particulars of the concession orders should also be noted in the daily train cash book-cum-summary. The concession order duly stitched to the relevant passenger classification return should be sent to the Traffic Accounts Office at the end of the month. 444. Endorsement on card tickets issued in exchange of certificates and concession forms, etc.—Tickets issued in exchange of certificates, concession orders etc. must be suitably endorsed, such as 1AFT. 1720-A', 'School concession', Trainees concession', etc. on the obverse of each ticket 445 . Defective warrants, certificates, concession forms, etc.— If warrants, certificates or concession forms, etc. are found to be defective in any respect, or there is doubt about their genuineness and issue of tickets on them has to be refused, the Booking Clerk should give the refusal in writing clearly specifying the reasons for which the document cannot be accepted as valid. He should also indicate the numbers of the tickets, if any, issued on payment e.g., "Refused owing to..................................class ticket No......................ex........................     ...to.......................issued on payment/No ticket issued". When there is doubt about the genuineness of the document, it should be confiscated and the matter brought to the notice of the Station Master for investigation and report to the Divisional Commercial Superintendent and Traffic Accounts Office, if necessary. 446 . Return of concession orders issued.— The officer authorized to issue concession orders should submit to the Traffic Accounts Office a monthly return of concession orders issued. 447 . Free passes.— Free Passes are granted to railway employees and others in accordance with the free pass rules issued by the Railway Board and any subsidiary instructions issued by a railway administration with the approval of the Railway Board. Passes are of three kinds; metal, card and cheque. In the matter of admittance of pass holders to platforms and of check and examination of their passes, the same rules apply as in the case of ordinary ticket holders. All cases of misuse of passes that come to the notice of the ticket checking staff should be reported by a letter to the administrative head of the office to which the employee belongs, and by an entry in the Ticket Collector's report (Com./T8 Rev.) to the Traffic Accounts Office. All orders issued from time to time regarding preferential treatment to ticket holders over pass holders, endorsement and collection of passes, etc., should be carefully followed by the commercial staff. 448 . Metal passes.— (a) These are of gold, silver and bronze, and are issued to gazetted officers when on duty. (b) Gold pass holders, when on duty, are entitled to travel in an air-conditioned coach with their family (wife and children) without payment of any difference between the air-conditioned class and AC Sleeper class fares over the Indian Government Railways. One attendant in second class, 140 kgs. of luggage for each adult and 70 kgs. for each child of over 5 years and under 12 years, and 50 kgs. for each attendant are allowed free. (c) Silver pass holders are entitled to the same privileges as gold pass holders except that the officer himself only is entitled to air-conditioned accommodation while his family is allowed to travel in AC Sleeper first class. Air-conditioned accommodation for the family can also be obtained on payment of l/3rd of the difference between the air-conditioned class and AC Sleeper class fares. (d) Bronze pass holders, when on duty, are entitled to first class AC Sleeper travel with their families over the home line only (except in the case of bronze passes issued by the Railway Board which are available over all the Indian Government Railways) and can avail of the same privileges as gold and silver pass holders in respect of attendants and luggage. Travel in air-conditioned class is allowed on payment of l/3rd of the difference between the air-conditioned class and AC Sleeper class fares. If the basic pay is Rs. 4500 or above, the Officer can travel in Air Conditioned Coach. 449 . Card passes. —These are printed in the same colours as card tickets and issued for the different classes to employees for their journeys on duty. These passes cover the journeys of the holders and their attendants and are available between the stations and dates as shown in the passes. 450 . Cheque passes. —These are issued for duty, privilege or complimentary travel in all classes either for single journey or return journey. The persons for whom issued, the stations between which available, the route to'be followed, the class of train by which journey is permitted are detailed on the pass. On completion of the journey, single or return, the pass should be returned by the pass holder to the issuing officer within a month of the date of expiry of the Pass with remarks "used/cancelled". 451 . Luggage on passes. —(a) The following free luggage allowance is permissible on passes for each adult and half the allowance for each child over 3 and under 12 years of age:—                                                                                                     Kgs. 1st class 'A' . .............................................................................. 140 1st class........................................................................................ 70 2nd class ...................................................................................... 50

Note.—The free allowance of luggage for an adult over the Nilgiri Railway is as under half the allowance is admissible for each child over 5 and under 12 years of age. 1st class ........................................................................... 70 Kgs. IInd class .......................................................................... 25 Kgs. (b) First class 'A' and first class pass holders are allowed 50 kgs. of luggage free for each attendant. 452 . Issue of privilege passes and PTOs to Govt. Railway Police. —The concession of privilege passes and PTOs is also admissible to those personnel of Govt. Railway Police who have been employed on Railway Police duties without a break w.e.f. 17th June 1973 on those Indian Railway where this concession was allowed immediately prior to 1-4-37. The class of passes and PTO admissible to them is determined the pay limit as applicable to the railway staff but the Government Railway Police Personnel are not eligible for air-conditioned travel without payment of full difference in fares between the air conditioned class and the class of pass held. 453 . Emergent police passes. —Emergent police passes (Form Com./P-12) are machine numbered, printed in four counterfoils and supplied in bound books. The first foil is the 'station record', the second is the 'Account foil' which serves the purpose of a requisition, the third is the 'free ticket' to be written and signed by the Station Master and the fourth is the 'receipt' to be granted to the holder of the pass by the ticket collecting staff of the destination station. These books on receipt should be checked and entered in the register of money value books (Form Com./T-22), due precautions being taken for their safe custody and issue. 454 . Requisition for issue of emergent police passes on home line.— Emergent police passes will be issued to the Government Railway Police over the home line, on receipt of a requisition to be signed by an officer not below the rank of a Head Constable, when they are travelling on business connected with the railway or State. Emergent police passes may also be issued for witnesses and complainants to give evidence at a Police Thana or at a place where investigation is being held, or to identify criminals or property, etc., or in bonafide railway cases, when persons are summoned by the police to give evidence before the investigating officer. When in the course of investigation the police associate with themselves some of the leading men of the area or clan or religion should be treated as witnesses, and issued emergent police passes on receipt of requisition. These passes must in no circumstances be issued when witnesses or complainants are summoned to attend a court of law. The police officer requisitioning emergent police pass must show the following information in the requisition:— (i) names, designations and badge numbers of policemen; (ii) class train by which journey is to be performed and the station to which the party is proceeding and via; and  (iii) details of duty for which pass is required and the railway with which the duty is connected. For conveyance of prisoners, police warrant (and not the emergent police requisition) will be presented by the Government Railway Police in exchange of which ordinary card or paper tickets will be issued (see also para 429). 455 . Grant of free conveyance or otherwise to complainants or witnesses or accused in railway cases. —Emergent police passes may be issued only in the case of apprehending offenders under sections 137 and 138 of the Railways Act In all other cases, whether the offence is cognizable or non-cognizable, the following procedure should be followed:— (i) the cost of conveyance by rail of accused persons under arrest, in cases sent up by the railway police, should be borne by the police in conformity with the practice obtaining in cases prosecuted by the District Police; (ii) as the travelling expenses of complainants and witnesses, whether in railway or other cases, are payable by the criminal courts in accordance with rules under section 544 of the Criminal Procedure-Code, no special provision for the cost of conveyance of such persons to court is necessary; (iii) if an accused person, not having been arrested, proceeds to court himself, or, having been arrested and released on bail under section 180 of the Railways Act proceeds to court on bail, he pays his own expenses: any police officer, proceeding to court in the capacity of a witness, pays his own expenses and is entitled to draw travelling allowance: any railway employee summoned to a court of law, except in cases in which liability for travelling allowances devolves on railway revenues, in which cases free passes may be issued, pays his fare to and from the station at which the court is situated, and may apply to the Judge or Magistrate of such court for reimbursement of the fares paid as well as for the subsistence allowance due to him. 456 . Responsibility for the correct issue of the emergent police passes. —The staff issuing emergent police passes must see that their issue is covered by the rules. Issue of any pass not permissible under the rules, will render the party at fault liable to be debited with the cost of such pass. 457 . A railway policeman applying for an emergent police pass at a station away from his headquarters should normally apply in uniform, the uniform being taken as an authentication of the man and his business. Where the man applying for an emergent police pass is, for any reason, not in uniform and is not known to the staff, he should be called upon to produce the appointment card which is given on enrolment to all police officials and is signed by a gazetted officer. 458 . Issue of emergent police passes to railway police over other railways.— (a) Emergent police passes may be issued to officers of railway police over other railways in cases of emergency when it becomes necessary for a railway police officer to travel on another railway: (i) when actually engaged in following up criminals in connection with railway cases; (ii) when escorting prisoners arrested in such cases; and (iii) on the return journey from such duty when he should apply to the Station Master for a duty pass. (b) The term "actually engaged in following up criminals in connection with railway cases" means: (i) following up a clue with a view to the arrest of such a criminal; (ii) following up such a criminal who has escaped and is known to have gone on another railway; (iii) following up a clue with a view to the identification of such a criminal as to his residence and antecedents and as to his previous convictions; (iv) following up a clue with a view to the recovery of stolen property known or suspected bonafide to have been taken over on another railway. (c) The officer applying for the passes is held responsible for seeing that the duty on which the police travels over another railway is as described above. 459 . Requisition for an emergent police pass on another railway.— Requisitions by railway police officers for duty passes over another line will be made in the form, a specimen of which appears at Appendix FV/H. The requisition should be written in English. On presentation of the requisition signed by a responsible police officer, an emergent police pass will be issued. The requisition portion of the pass (Com./P-12) need not be filled in but the number and date of the requisition held should be quoted therein. The route by which" the pass requisitioned for and issued, and the train by which the holders travel should be noted on the requisition and pass. In addition to the names and designations of the men in whose favour the pass is issued, their constabulary numbers should be shown. When an emergent police pass is issued through to another railway for the, return journey, a remark to the following effect may be made both on the requisition and the pass:— "For the return journey to..................Rail way police officer or constable who came from............... station and for the journey of prisoners arrested by him". 460 . Continuation of journey from one railway to another. —When a railway police officer, holding a pass from a station on a railway to a station on another railway, wishes to continue his journey further in the execution of his duty, a fresh requisition should be presented by the police officer, when an emergent police pass will be issued to him for the onward journey to the station named in the requisition. The following remarks should be made both in the requisition and the pass issued in connection therewith:— "Holder of this pass travelled originally under Pass No................from....................to......................

461 . Check of emergent police passes at ticket checking stations.— Emergent police passes, should be examined at ticket checking stations and entered in the Ticket Collector's pocket book (Com./P-28 Rev.). 462 . Realisation of charges for emergent police passes. —The Government Railway Police are only entitled to free conveyance by rail when engaged in duties connected with the suppression or investigation of crime in connection with the railway or committed on its premises and no charges are to be recovered from the Government Railway Police on this account. When travelling in the execution of their duty as State Police on matters connected with the railway, they, with any prisoners or witnesses or any luggage or other articles they may convey, are liable to payment of full fares and freight which must be recovered from the Government through the Traffic Accounts Office. The police officer making the requisition for an emergent police pass on such occasions is to note on such passes that the fares and freight are realizable and also the weight of any luggage or other articles included in the pass. 463 . Accountal of emergent police passes.— Emergent police passes should be accounted for in the passenger classification return local or through, as the case may be. In addition, a return in Form Com./P-14, showing the commencing and closing numbers and full particulars of passes issued to local or other railway stations during the month, will be prepared and submitted as an enclosure to the passenger classification return to enable the Traffic Accounts Office to recover the charges from the Government, wherever due. The Accounts foil of the emergent police passes, along with the original requisitions separately secured by the Station Masters, will also be submitted to the Traffic Accounts Office duly attached to the return of emergent police passes. 464 . Daily submission of collected passes.— The collected emergent police passes should be sent daily to the Traffic Accounts Office along with collected tickets for the day. 465. Emergent and passengers' pass.— When persons accused of offences under sections 137 and 138 of the Railways Act are to be conveyed by rail to court or the nearest police station, emergent passengers' pass as per specimen appearing at Appendix IV/J should be issued for accused and the railway staff escorting them. In cases of ticketless passengers handed over to the Station Master by a Travelling Ticket Examiner, reference to the Travelling Ticket Examiner's memo must be quoted on the pass. At the end of the month, a statement showing the particulars of emergent passengers' passes issued will be submitted to the Traffic Accounts Office.

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Journey on the Trans-Siberian: Moscow to Yekaterinburg

This is the second part of a series about my trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway in the summer of 2018. I’ll cover the overnight ride from St Petersburg to Moscow, the 16 hours I spent in the Russian capital, and the two-day ride from Moscow to Yekaterinburg.

After a few days in St Petersburg I boarded the overnight train to Moscow. The sleeper train “Red Arrow” departs at 11:55pm. I read (but didn’t confirm) the departure time was set in Soviet times to leave before midnight so travelers could get reimbursed for two working days.

There were three people already in the cabin when I walked in: In one of the top bunks was a girl who looked 20-something, and on the two bottom bunks, two Brazilian men who looked like soccer fans. (It was World Cup summer.)

We exchanged muted hello’s and filled out our breakfast order forms. Without wasting time I followed the process of settling into an overnight cabin:

• Examine and unpack the supplied bedding.
• Make the bed.
• If foreigners are in the cabin, motion to them to follow your lead.
• Exit the cabin to give others room to make their bed and, if they wish, to change into sleeping attire.
• Return when appropriate, and begin smalltalk to spark a deep and cross-cultural conversation that’ll grow richer and bring you closer together with every mile of track until the morning golden hour.

Except the Brazilian men didn’t speak English, and the girl, probably on-guard, remained silent. I went to sleep.

It wasn’t the rocking that stirred me awake every hour, but the impressive guttural symphony coming from the man below me. The snores came in different tones and rhythms, transforming mid-breath with no particular pattern, which made them difficult to ignore. (A few days later, Tatiana, another cabin-mate, refuted my story by telling me sound doesn’t travel upwards. “Then he cheated physics,” I said.) I forced my earplugs deeper and felt relief that this is only a seven-hour trip.

By morning the Brazilians still didn’t speak English but the girl was more inviting. She’s a mother of two—which surprised me—and was headed to Moscow for a meditation seminar. I made whatever smalltalk I could fit between bites of fried cheese fritters until we arrived in Moscow.

It was early morning, and my first objective was to find a quiet part of the city where I can rest until some nearby coffeeshop opens. I took the metro to the nearest patch of green on Google Maps—a park called “Clean Ponds.”

The only available bench was next to a group of Russian men still drinking from the night before. One of the men was slumped over, another was drying in the sun after taking a dip in the pond, another was throwing fists at the wet one, and the rest were fighting to stay upright—only because it’s easier to keep drinking when upright. I decided against napping, and instead enjoyed the scene unfolding to my left.

A woman approached and sat next to me, holding her small dog, and complained about the park’s occupants. Following a light conversation, she lit a cigarette, told me about her (deceased) husband’s medical invention, and proposed I introduce the product to the US market in return for a cut of the profits. She did this while parrying advances from one of the men. (“I have a job and own an apartment in a good location, behind the McDonald’s,” he said.) She gave me her phone number before leaving, probably dreaming of business ventures in America that will not happen.

When the woman left, the party group noticed me. “Where the f— did you come from?!” one of them said. I was prepared to give (and take) a few hits and run, but managed to ease the tension with some jokes and handshakes.

I gave up on rest and went in search of coffee and breakfast.

Irina and Red Square

Irina is a lawyer living in Moscow who’s trying to improve her English. We met on a language-learning website, and arranged to meet in person to walk through the Red Square and practice English/Russian.

The Red Square was staged for the World Cup and crowded with tourists. It felt like the Russian version of Times Square, which I found intolerable. I snapped some shots and hurried us to lunch.

We found a Georgian restaurant just off the main boulevard and spent the next hour chatting about Russia’s legal system, language exams, graduate school, and how long could it possibly take to cook chicken.

In 2007 I was supposed to visit St Petersburg aboard my college’s training ship. My cousin warned me I should brush up on my Russian: “We have smart relatives there, don’t embarrass yourself.” I searched for Russians to chat with online and found Polina.

We spoke every other day in the months leading up to my voyage that summer. I started to like her. We made unrealistic plans for her to travel from Moscow to St Petersburg to meet me for the few days I’d be there. It never happened. Just days before my ship’s scheduled arrival, the captain diverted us to Estonia after failing to get the proper docking permits or visas for Russia. Polina and I exchanged only a few emails over the next decade.

This time, the plan worked.

We met and crisscrossed the Moskva river over bridges as we spoke of life in Russia, her newborn son, traveling, her dreams of returning to freelancing, the things we still do and those we don’t… I don’t remember where we walked or what we passed.

Is this what Captain Smith made me miss? I imagined myself at 19, and Polina getting permission from her mom to take the overnight train to St Petersburg, and my needing to return to the ship by midnight, and maybe ending up like my shipmate and the Croatian girl he fell in love with on the first day in port in Dubrovnik…

The thought made me happy but also underscored the passage of time. We were far from 19, and we both found love on native soil, and she became a mom, and I had to catch the train to Yekaterinburg before midnight.

After saying goodbye to Polina, it was time for the next segment of the Trans-Siberian Railway: A one-and-a-half-day ride to Yekaterinburg. I stocked up on ramen noodles and tea, and made my way to the train.

Riding the Trans-Siberian Railway is interesting for two reasons: The train itself, and the people on it. Life aboard the train doesn’t differ much from one segment to another, so I will write a separate article of observations and survival tips learned throughout the entire trip.

The people, however, did change with each segment. On this segment from Moscow to Yekaterinburg, as urban sprawl gave way to dense forests and wooden villages, I got to know a family from the Far North.

Tatiana, Nastia, and Sasha

My roommates for the 27-hour trip from Moscow to Yekaterinburg were Tatiana and her two children, Nastia and Sasha.

Within minutes of departure I took off my shoes to get comfortable and waited for the hallway activity to calm down before preparing for bed. Tatiana, somehow sensing my inexperience with long-distance train travel, pointed at the blue disposable slippers that came with the provided bedding and gently suggested I put them on. I thought they were silly and not for someone who’s used to rough traveling, so I responded that I’m alright in my socks. She tried to convince me a bit longer before giving up.

Moments later, I went to the bathroom—there’s one at each end of every car—and learned they’re just like airplane bathrooms: small and wet, and you don’t know from what . I returned to the cabin, changed my socks, and donned the blue disposable slippers. Tatiana looked on with approval.

They were traveling from their small military town near the Russia-Finland border (where her husband is stationed) to Novosibirsk — over 3,000 miles away — to visit her parents, as they do every summer. Airfare would cost them three months’ worth of income (by my own calculation), so they took the train, like many Russian families traveling to or from Siberia.

Our conversations spanned life in Russia, life in the US, Nastia’s college ambitions (she’s undecided between medicine and chemistry), traveling (because of the husband’s position in the military, the family is not allowed to travel outside of Russia), drawing, Russian literature, and more… We talked without end for two days while sharing food and drinking tea by the liter.

Tatiana teaches literature and Russian at their local school. She told me about life inside the arctic circle and showed me photos of polar lights, fields of flowers, her shirtless husband stepping out of a bania (a Russian sauna) and jumping into the snow, and other everyday scenes. She worried about what will happen after her husband’s military contract ends next year. She’ll miss Nastia when she stays behind in Novosibirsk for one final year of school and then university.

Tatiana also worried about my safety. She advised me to tell people I’m a local: “Your Russian is good enough,” she said, “that people will believe you and assume that your slight accent and slower pace is due to—” and she raised her fingers to her temple and did a twisting gesture. I nodded, thought for a moment, and decided that was a compliment.

Nastia is a straight-A student interested in chemistry and medicine. She’s not sure which of the two she’ll study in university, but she has another year to decide. She’ll stay with her grandparents in a small village outside of the city for another year until it’s time to attend Novosibirsk University. Although she studied english in school for several years, she never felt comfortable enough to speak it. (The faculty at their local school is made up of military spouses with little or no teaching experience.)

Nastia earns money on the side by painting custom designs on her clients’ nails. Her designs—from cartoon characters to landscapes to sunsets, all painted on half-inch-wide keratin canvases—are remarkable and belong in high-end nail salons of New York. I offered her some advice based on my consulting experience (she should charge more for more the elaborate designs). Her entrepreneurial spirit made me happy for her, maybe because it reminded me of my teenage years when I drew cartoons for money.

Sasha is just beginning to learn English, and this was his first encounter with a native speaker. He was nowhere near conversational English, so he engaged the only way he could: shouting out Russian words from his language workbook to see if I could respond with the right translation. “How do you say, um, ‘lion?’” he asked, and looked at me with a wide smile and alert eyes, waiting to hear a word that matched his notes. “Give Greg a break,” Tatiana said, more than once, after many animals were correctly translated, but I gave Sasha an approving smile to signal it’s alright. “Crocodile!?” he continued…

The next day, as the train approached Yekaterinburg in the early morning, I nudged Tatiana and Nastia awake to say “goodbye,” as they requested the night before, when we exchanged longer goodbyes and I told them how wonderful it was to meet and spend time with them. “Goodbye, Greg,” they replied, and both gave me a smile that I didn’t expect from anyone whose sleep was interrupted, who’s been on the road for weeks, who wouldn’t see her daughter (or mother) for a year, whose future was so uncertain… And still they smiled in the way that only good people do.

Previous chapter: St Petersburg Next chapter: Yekaterinburg

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I never heard of this before - I ws thinking about taking this trip next year - perhaps with my boyfriend perhaps alone (single female)

I would be interested to hear if this is just tall tales.

Yes, I know many who have had pleasant enough experiences on the local trains (generally within a given country is better than international) and I myself have had some great fun on trains from Germany to the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Having said this, Eastern European trains are slow, uncomfortable and can be dangerous on certain routes. The route you mention is subject to frequent delays, bad food and the whims of the authorities. There are frequent robberies (yes the gas stories are true) and especially in Belarus, you are not really in a position to complain with the railroads or local police since one or both are usually in on it. If you choose to do it, and do run into trouble, DO NOT PUSH the situation with local police or you are in for a rough few days in a local lock up. If you really must to do it, go with a local or groups of locals, dress down and interact and have fun with as many local people as possible.

You can now fly a variety of airlines in the region and the time saved and risk avoided is truly worth it.

This might be a good place to look:

http://www.expresstorussia.com/russian_train_tickets.html

Belarussian police/authoriies can be a problem, and you'll find various news reports of that on the Internet. Check the Belarus forums here as well. One alternative to transiting Belarus might be to go via Uraine instead, altho' a bit out of the way geographically.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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Home » Prices and Trans-Siberian Tickets » Trans-Siberian Railway Prices

Ticket prices for the Trans-Siberian Railway also depend on the current ruble exchange rate.

Is the Trans-Siberian Railway expensive?

Before starting on your Trans-Siberian Railway adventure you naturally want to know what the entire trip will cost. Although this sounds like a simple question, it is pretty difficult to answer. The Trans-Siberian Railway price of travel depends on the following factors:

• Which travel class do I want to use? The price for a first class ticket is about three times the price of a 3rd class ticket
• Am I willing to buy the tickets myself and assume responsibility for the organisation of the trip?
• How many stopovers do I want to make? The more breaks, the higher the total price.
• What sort of accommodation do I want? Will it be a luxury hotel or will a hostel dormitory be sufficient?
• What tours and excursions would I like to go on?
• What is the current exchange rate for rubles?

Basically, everything from a luxury to a budget holiday is available. If you buy yourself a 3rd Class nonstop ticket at the counter, a few hundred Euros will cover the price. All you will experience is a week on the Trans-Siberian train and will see nothing of the cities on the way. There is, however, any amount of room for upward expansion. Everyone makes different choices about which aspects they are willing to spend money on. I personally prefer to save money on accommodation and railcar class, visit as many cities and do as many trips as possible. To enable better classification of your travel expenses I have contrasted two typical traveler types. In the third column you can calculate the total cost of your own journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Please keep in mind that these are only rough estimations and not exact prices.

The all-in costs seem fairly high at first. However, they cover everything and it is quite a long journey taking four weeks. Many people forget to consider that when looking at the list. We should also deduct the running costs for food and leisure at home. I think most visitors to this page will classify themselves somewhere between the two categories, that is around the € 2,000 – € 2,500 range. When comparing these prices with other travel packages, you get the impression that it is hardly worthwhile travelling individually on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Please keep in mind that most packages last no more than 14 days and you are herded like cattle through the most beautiful locations.

If you spend less time on the Trans-Siberian Railway you will, of course, pay less. I chose this particular travel length because I prefer not to do things by halves. If you fulfill your dream of travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, enjoy it and don’t rush things. But it’s up to you, of course. Try playing around with the form a bit to find the appropriate price for your trip.

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