Armed forces veterans should get concessions on rail travel, says Labour

Shadow transport secretary says rail firms should extend scheme of discounted tickets for serving forces members

Labour has said train companies should be forced to offer concessionary rail travel to armed forces veterans.

Serving members of the military, and their spouses, can already buy an HM forces railcard, allowing them to buy tickets at a discount, but Labour said on Wednesday that it wanted rail companies to extend this to all 333,000 members of the armed forces pension schemes.

Maria Eagle, the shadow transport secretary, said: “If [rail companies] cannot voluntarily bring forward a scheme this year, then ministers must act to make it a condition of all future rail franchises.”

Labour believes that rail firms can afford to fund the proposed scheme themselves because they made more than £300m in profit in 2011 – 12.

“It is right that a small proportion of these profits are used to support those who serve in the name of national security,” the party said.

Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary, said: “This would be a meaningful move to support those who have given so much to our country. Service personnels’ struggles and sacrifices often do not end when they leave the battlefield.”

Around 72,000 members of the …read more