The government laid an amendment to the Railways Bill on Monday to write the one-third railcard discount for veterans and service personnel into law.
Veterans and service personnel currently get railcards that take one-third off most rail fares. The government said the discount had “no statutory protection” until Monday.
The Department for Transport said the amendment reassures the armed forces community and their families that the discounts will continue. It said the change means future generations of veterans and service personnel can use the discounts “with confidence and certainty”.
Statutory protection already exists for discounts aimed at young, elderly and disabled people, and the government said the amendment adds those who are serving and those who have served to that list.
The Bill as introduced safeguards discount schemes for younger, older and disabled people, so that a scheme for each group is always available.
In practice these are the 16 to 25, Senior and Disabled Persons Railcards, which are managed by the Rail Delivery Group, a cross-industry body that works for train operators.
Devolved governments and operators must also offer discount schemes for those groups. They can choose whether to join the national schemes or create their own for the services they designate.
The department had earlier said that other concessionary discounts not defined in statute, including those for families, people travelling with companions and veterans, would not be included in the Bill. It added that there were “no plans to withdraw these offers”. The amendment changes the legal position for veterans and service personnel only.
The Bill is sponsored by Heidi Alexander, Labour MP for Swindon South, and Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill. Its long title describes it as a Bill to make provision about railways and railway services.
It sets up Great British Railways (GBR), which will become the main body responsible for running passenger services and will have a statutory duty to set fares on the services it operates.
Open access and devolved operators, such as ScotRail and Transport for Wales, will keep setting fares on their own services.
The Bill replaces section 28 of the Railways Act 1993, which has framed fares regulation for more than 30 years.
Under the current system, regulated fares such as season tickets and day singles and returns are subject to an annual cap that is traditionally linked to the July Retail Prices Index.
In 2025 that cap was about 4.6 per cent, made up of July 2024 RPI of 3.6 per cent plus one percentage point.
The government said GBR will gradually move away from a blanket annual increase and towards managing fares over a financial settlement period. The Transport Secretary will monitor its performance against agreed limits.
The amendment does not change the size of the discount. Veterans and service personnel who hold the railcard keep one-third off most fares. What changes is that the arrangement is protected in law if the Bill passes with the amendment.
The government said the measure builds on its recent expansion of free rail travel for a bereaved military family member attending Remembrance events. The department did not give a date for that expansion.