Military Veterans to receive new Rail Card on Armistice Day

A new rail card is set to be released on 11 November 2020, offering military veterans cut-price train travel to help boost job prospects and bring them closer to family and friends.

What is the UK Veteran Rail Card?

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced a new veteran rail card to go on sale from Armistice Day 2020. The rail card will extend discounted train travel to the more than 830,000 veterans not covered by existing discounts.

The new veteran rail card will:

• offer eligible ex-military personnel a third off their train fares
• help boost veterans’ job prospects and strengthen family bonds through cheaper travel
• cost £21 for a limited period, before rising to £30On the announcement, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Every part of society should honour the debt we owe those who’ve served our country. I’m proud that the Department for Transport, together with other government colleagues and the rail industry, is doing its bit. This rail card will help open opportunities to veterans, whether through employment and retraining, or by strengthening links with friends and family. I believe that enabling former service personnel to travel more easily is the least we can do.”What is the veterans ID card and who will receive one?

  The announcement of the veteran rail card follows the news that a new veterans ID card will be given to service leavers to mark their time in the armed forces.

  According to the MOD, any personnel who have left the military since December 2018 will automatically be given an ID card, allowing them to maintain a tangible link to their career in the forces.

  All other veterans who left the armed forces before December 2018 will be able to apply for a new ID card by the end of 2020.

  The new ID card allows veterans in the UK to easily verify their service to the NHS, their local authority, and charities, helping them to access support and services where needed. Veterans UK – which manages pensions and compensation payments for the armed forces – will also benefit from the change.

  A new ID card for all British armed forces veterans has started to be issued by the Ministry of Defence in a bid to help service leavers access specialist support and services.

  What else is available to service leavers?

  The new veterans ID card is one of three currently available to service leavers. Personnel leaving the military are also able to keep their military IDs, known as the MOD Form 90, allowing them to maintain a connection with their service. Additionally, veterans can access a range of discounts through the Defence Discount Service, the official MOD-endorsed service for the armed forces.

  Any veteran in need of support can also contact the Veterans’ Gateway, a 24-hour service which signposts ex-forces personnel to the support available to them, including housing and financial advice, career guidance, and medical care from the NHS.