GBR to be in Kings Speech, 17 July 2024

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

If you were a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)▸ , why wouldn't you hand back your keys early? Is it really worth the paltry management fee when you can see the end anyway?

Well, here's a few reasons why you might not -

1 - If these are fixed term contracts without a break clause for the TOC, so no legal right to do so, if they tried to "walk off the job" they would expose themselves to liability the remedy for which might be specified in the agreement, or which might be damages awarded by arbitration or the courts.

The three local ones I know about are all expiry at the break clause, with DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) choice to extend. So if yours expires in September....or next April...

[Electric train]

As for "priv rate" travel for rail staff, can't see why that should be stopped, but it should be taxed like many other similar employee benefits (if it isn't already).

It is taxed as a benefit in kind iaw IRC rules, in a similar way that company cars, season ticket subsidies (that some employers offer) Private Health Insurance etc

 

[Fourbee]

The holders of the NRC’s have pretty much all had their terms extended whether shockingly bad or quite good.  The only exception I can think of is TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express)…and there’s an argument that was just about the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) flexing their muscles.

It's written into the terms of the FirstGroup boxes that free travel ends when the franchise ends, so it did cease on TPE and staff were reminded of this at the time. SWR^» (South Western Railway - about), GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and Avanti will then drop off respectively as it stands, but they may have other facilities depending on status anyway.

Network Rail staff recently became able to have "priv rate" travel as part of last years pay deal, so "priv travel" is not dead, once the future rail industry structure is known I am sure the RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on the context) will have a staff priv travel arrangements, as for the operator specific ones will survive as routes / services specific ............. after all BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) safe guarded travel is still around (I make use of it every day to get to work)

...being the railway of course this was implemented in a different way for NR^» (Network Rail - home page) staff in as much as they can only book onilne to use the recently introduced "priv" and can't use open access operators which will continue to be included in the FirstGroup boxes in the case of Hull Trains and Lumo UFN^▸ (Unpaid Fare Notice, or 'until further notice', depending on context ).

[Electric train]

Network Rail staff recently became able to have "priv rate" travel as part of last years pay deal, so "priv travel" is not dead, once the future rail industry structure is known I am sure the RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on the context) will have a staff priv travel arrangements, as for the operator specific ones will survive as routes / services specific ............. after all BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) safe guarded travel is still around (I make use of it every day to get to work)

...being the railway of course this was implemented in a different way for NR^» (Network Rail - home page) staff in as much as they can only book onilne to use the recently introduced "priv" and can't use open access operators which will continue to be included in the FirstGroup boxes in the case of Hull Trains and Lumo UFN^▸ (Unpaid Fare Notice, or 'until further notice', depending on context ).

Also they are unable to use Elizabeth line services and a number of others.  Is it a perfect priv ticket system, no, but colleges do make use of it
The introduction was a U-turn by NR, a few years ago the it was stated categorically by the CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) at the time that priv travel for NR employees would never happen

[IndustryInsider]

The holders of the NRC’s have pretty much all had their terms extended whether shockingly bad or quite good.  The only exception I can think of is TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express)…and there’s an argument that was just about the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) flexing their muscles.

It's written into the terms of the FirstGroup boxes that free travel ends when the franchise ends, so it did cease on TPE and staff were reminded of this at the time. SWR^» (South Western Railway - about), GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and Avanti will then drop off respectively as it stands, but they may have other facilities depending on status anyway.

Just for clarity, the comments in my post you quoted above were not connected to ‘priv’ travel facilities, but NRC’s in general.