BR passes at heritage railways.

Was just having a conversation with a work colleague about her holiday and she mentioned that she visited the Welsh highland railway while away (she knows im into railways) and she said that she only paid £13 for a ticket because her husband is an ex railway employee. I understand that he pays for the passes each year but I wondered if the heritage railways actually see any of that money? Do they claim anything back? If not they why do heritage railways give such massive reductions to people who have never lifted a finger for preservation (some do but there are a lot that don't). I find it very very odd.

 

AFAIK it's a reciprocal arrangement and paid staff from heritage lines can get priv rates on the national network. A mate of mine worked in the ATOC department that dealt with free passes and the arrangements between various TOCs and heritage lines. I'll try and remember to ask him exactly how it works. Not all heritage lines recognise staff passes from the "big railway" though.

 

Reciprocal agreements, so certain staff on preserved railways get concessions on the 'big' railway.

Could pay for itself? The discount encourages repeat visits. I used to visit NYMR very regularly (not since it became largely diesel) but only because I travelled free on train to get there. If I had to pay the fare (in the peak especially) to reach Pickering/Grosmont it would be, well, once per year if that. Ditto SVR, ELR or wherever that gets my custom because it is affordable.

A couple of railways do NOT get my custom (except isolated visits once every few years) where day runabouts do not get the priv discount, only ordinary single/return tickets get that. So if bashing up & down the full fare runabout is best value, but I wonder if that is devious in the spirit of the concessionary arrangements if the runabout is the ticket normally purchased by visitors.

 

All part of the ATOC agreements

http://www.atoc.org/about-atoc/rail-staff-travel/where-can-i-go/