Rail sta 'priv' travel on European trains - a quic...

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Free or reduced rate European train travel: An amazing perk if you work for a UK train
company!
If you have worked for a British train operating company for over 12 months and are entitled to reduced rate or free travel on British trains, you are
almost certainly entitled to free or reduced rate travel on most European trains as well. Your partner and dependent children also qualify. This is
an amazing perk, though it's often not 'advertised' by your employer. Network Rail safeguarded staff employed since before 1995 also get this
perk, although newer NR staff don't.

So how does it work? A simple explanation!

Republic of
Ireland

There are two basic options for travelling in Europe on 'privs': (1) using an FIP International Reduced Rate card to get a discount or (2) using FIP
International Free Travel Coupons for (in most cases) completely free travel. I recommend you get an FIP Reduced rate card right now, even
before having any firm travel plans, as it's valid for 6 years. You can then order free coupons when you have a specific trip in mind.

Train travel
in Europe...

FIP International Reduced Rate Card...

Northern Ireland

Europe by train
introduction

You can apply for an 'FIP' International Reduced Rate card from your staff personnel office at any time, giving at least 6
weeks notice.

How to buy
European
train tickets...

The card is valid for 2 years, and it gives you reduced rate travel on most European railways, including Eurostar, any time
you want to go. Just show your card at a European station, and you can buy tickets with the relevant discount or special
fare. The card covers most trains in most countries, notably except Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Sweden.

London to Paris
or Brussels
by Eurostar...
Albania
Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Belarus
Bosnia
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Rep.
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

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Most European national railways simply give either 50% or 75% off their normal full-price fares, but Eurostar and a few
other services such as Thalys and Lyria offer special cheap priv fares for holders of this card.
The class of travel is the same as you get in Britain. So if you are entitled to first class priv travel in Britain, you'll get first
class priv train travel in Europe too. Although in a handful of cases including Eurostar, you can choose to buy a 1st class
FIP ticket even with a 2nd class FIP card.
With an FIP card, Eurostar from London to Paris or Brussels in standard class costs 23 one-way or 46 return starting in
the UK, 25 one-way or 50 return starting on the Continent. In first class (Standard Premier) it's 38 each way starting in
the UK or 45 each way starting on the Continent.
As you need to apply for your reduced rate card at least 6 weeks before travel, I recommend applying for an International
Reduced Rate Card now even if you don't have any firm travel plans. It lasts for 6 years, so you'll have one when you need
it, even if that's at short notice, or you find yourself abroad unexpectedly needing to buy a train ticket!

Example of an FIP Reduced Rate

Card for rail staff...
The three pages shown here fold into a
little booklet. You can read the list of
train operators which is covers. 'Attica'
group ferries means Superfast and Blue
Star ferries on routes such as Ancona or
Bari in Italy to Patras in Greece.
From 2013, the year is printed, rather
than using sticky year labels as before.

FIP International Free Coupon Tickets...

At least 3 weeks before you want to travel (the notice period was reduced from 6 weeks in 2011), you can order an
'International Free Coupon Ticket' from your personnel office for each of the countries you intend to visit. You'll get one free
travel coupon ticket for each country you ask for, see the example below.
You are entitled to order one International Free Coupon for each European country per year, or 2 per year in a few cases
such as the Netherlands and (if you're salaried staff) France and Belgium.
Each coupon has 4 boxes printed on it, and when you write the date in a box it gives you 48 hours free travel on that
country's national rail network from 00:00 on day 1 to 24:00 on day 2. Most inspectors understand that it's 48 hours not 24
hours, but in my experience in a few cases you'll have to politely insist that this is the case (on day 2 of the 48 hours, watch
inspectors carefully to see that they don't start writing the date in a second box!)! For international journeys, you simply

09/04/15 06:28

Rail sta 'priv' travel on European trains - a quic...

Turkey
Ukraine

Train travel
in Africa...
Botswana
Cameroon
Egypt
Ethiopia
Gabon
Kenya
Mali
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Senegal
South Africa
Sudan
Tanzania
Tunisia
Zambia
Zimbabwe

http://www.seat61.com/rail-sta-priv-travel.htm

need a coupon for each of the countries through which your route passes.
Note that these International Free Coupons don't work at all on Eurostar (London-Paris, London-Brussels), Thalys (ParisBrussels-Amsterdam/Cologne), Lyria (Paris-Switzerland), Thello (Paris-Italy sleeper trains) or Paris-Italy TGVs, plus a
handful of other services, as these offer special FIP Leisure Fare with the FIP Reduced Rate Card instead.
The class of travel is the same as you get in Britain.
The coupons are valid for 3 months from the date they're issued.
If you use a coupon in a neighbouring or adjoining country, you cannot return to your home country, then go back and start
travelling in those neighbouring or adjoining countries again using the unused boxes or coupons within the same booklet.
For the UK, 'neighbouring or adjoining countries' are defined as SNCF (France), SNCB (Belgium), NS (Netherlands), NIR
(Northern Ireland) and CIE (Ireland). So for example, if you were a UK railway employee who went to France and used part
of an SNCF coupon in a booklet containing SNCF, SNCB and DB (German Railways) coupons, and then you returned to
the UK, you would not be allowed to go back to either France or Belgium and use the unused SNCF boxes or the unused
SNCB coupon (as France and Belgium are 'neighbouring or adjoining countries' to the UK), but you could go on a trip to
Germany within the overall 3 month validity of the coupons, and use the unused DB coupon there as Germany isn't an
neighbouring or adjoining country.
Obviously, even if you go with the International Free Coupon option, it's best to get an FIP card as well as backup, and for
use on those services where the coupons don't work.

Example of an FIP International Free

Coupon Ticket...

Train travel
in the
Middle East,
Caucasus...

This is one for travel on SNCF French

Railways, issued to a member of staff
working for SNCB (Belgian railways).
Each time a date is written in biro in one
of the four boxes, it gives 48 hours free
travel, from midnight on day 1 to midnight
on day 2.

Iran
Israel
Jordan
Syria
Turkey
Caucasus

Train travel
in Asia...
Bangladesh
Burma
(Myanmar)
Cambodia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Laos
Malaysia
Nepal
North Korea
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
Uzbekistan
Vietnam

Train travel
in America...
Canada
Cuba
Peru
South America
United States

Train travel
in
Australasia
Australia
New Zealand

You must sign at the bottom.

Reservations and supplements...

The normal supplements apply for seat reservations, couchettes or sleepers, as they would with a normal ticket or railpass
holder. It's compulsory to reserve and pay supplements for some trains, the arrangements and cost for particular train
types are broadly similar (perhaps 90% similar) to those for InterRail pass holders, so see the country by country guide on
the InterRail page.
You can make reservations at stations in Europe, or you can make reservation and buy priv Eurostar tickets in the UK by
calling International Rail () on 0871 231 0790, who now have thofficial contract from ATOC for handling staff bookings - until
March 2015 it had been DB's UK office. Lines are open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday. International Rail now have a
dedicated Rail Staff Travel page, www.bookmyrst.co.uk.
Although DB (German Railways) UK office has lost the official contract, I can't see why they actually need such a contract to
sell you a valid staff ticket or reservation if you ask them, so you can also try them, on 08444 997 171. Feedback would be
appreciated!

More information, a discussion forum & to read up on the small print...

I've simplified things a bit In the explanation above. The place to read up on the details is at the ATOC website, in the
documents linked from this page: www.atoc.org/about-atoc/rail-staff-travel/where-can-i-go, starting with the first PDF
document 'Where can I go' and looking for section 6 on page 23, 'Travel facilities on Foreign Undertakings'.
Also see www.atoc.org/about-atoc/rail-staff-travel/forms/conditions-of-issue-use.
Also see the German Railways UK page for rail staff, www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/home/help/railstaff.shtml. This shows
current Eurostar FIP fares, details of a few 'blocked' trains in Germany, amongst other things. This page may disappear at
some point now that DB has lost the official contract for staff travel, although as DB can choose to sell you such tickets off
their own bat without such a contract, it may continue. Do let me know if it stops working.
There's a Yahoo discussion group for staff with Priv travel facilities in Europe which may help if you have a query or
problem: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Eurorailstaff/info.

How to apply...
Contact your personnel office to ask for details.
Application forms: www.atoc.org/about-atoc/rail-staff-travel/forms.

More information welcome...

Feedback would be welcome, if you're a member of rail staff and use your free or reduced rate European travel facilities.

London to
China

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Rail sta 'priv' travel on European trains - a quic...

& Japan by
TransSiberian
Railway

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