Europe’s new fashion for unlimited rail travel – available in Germany, Portugal and, soon, France, many priced at €49 a month – has got more people travelling by train and prompted calls for the UK to introduce its own version. Only we already have one in Britain. It’s called the BritRail pass and it’s available to everyone – except people who live here.
It’s hard to conceive of any other sector having the gall to offer discounted services to everyone bar their own citizens. But, like water firms and energy companies, rail operators appear to exist in a parallel universe, one that seems maddeningly indifferent to the mood and means of the nation.
And the BritRail pass – set to the backdrop of sky-high rail fares, abandoned HS2 ambitions, and falling passenger satisfaction – is perhaps the best expression of that indifference.
It is the product that train firms (many of them foreign owned) would rather you didn’t know about, but hope more people overseas do. Like those off-plan London flats that were sold in Hong Kong without ever going on the market here.
It doesn’t come cheap, mind. While Germany’s Deutschlandticket allows unlimited train travel across the country for just €49 a month, the month-long BritRail pass costs almost 14 times that. Still, at £568, it’s £100 cheaper than a monthly season ticket between London and Margate, and far less prescriptive – you can use it to go anywhere in the country. Or as Trainline, which sells it on its website, explains: “Whether it be in Scotland to visit the Highlands, soaring up the north-east coast, or taking in the stunning views of the Cornwall countryside, there are plenty of things to see using a BritRail pass.”
Sounds wonderful. The pass also offers the kind of flexibility that many British commuters would love to see from their season tickets in this age of hybrid working. There are seven versions to choose from. Those who don’t want to commit to a whole month, or even a week, can pick up a simple two-day pass for just £96, which is roughly equivalent to a single fare between London and Penzance.
The BritRail pass was created by the Rail Delivery Group – the organisation representing train firms – to “make rail the first choice for tourists visiting Britain” at a time when, ironically, it’s fast becoming the least preferred option for many Britons.
It’s an admirable aim, of course. We need more people travelling by train to decongest the roads, cut carbon and detoxify the air, and cheap monthly rail passes have been shown to do just that – when they are made available to all.
Germany’s Deutschlandticket led to a 25 per cent surge in passenger numbers on regional services, according to recent data from the national operator, Deutsche Bahn. It’s been so successful that Portugal copied the idea wholesale.
Now France has unveiled a version of its own, albeit with caveats (only people aged 26 or younger will be eligible for one). Still, at least they had the decency to make it available to their own.
You’d think that Rail Delivery Group might have seen what’s happening on the continent and developed a similar pass for the people who actually live in Britain. But, alas, no. However, don’t despair. “While there isn’t currently a domestic equivalent,” a spokesperson for the organisation told me, “UK customers can save [money] buying advance tickets and access further discounts via railcards, which saves a third off the cost of most rail fares across Great Britain.”
In other words, made do with what we’ve got. No thanks. See you in Berlin.