26-30 railcard: People left waiting over an hour in online queue for Millennial pass

Sophie Williams2 January 2019

People desperate to get their hands on a new Millennial Railcard have been left frustrated by online queues of more than an hour.

The pass for people aged 26 to 30 went on general sale at noon.

Last March, around 10,000 of the passes were put on sale as part of a trial. Those tickets sold out within a matter of hours.

Social media users took to Twitter on Wednesday to share their frustration.

One person wrote: “So it seems by the time I can get the Millennial Railcard I’ll be 31.”

“The moment has come, 26 - 30 'millennial' railcard launched. Only to join a queue over an hour,” another added.

Cardholders are set to save an average of £125 a year, according to industry body the Rail Delivery Group.

The card must be downloaded on to a smartphone and is aimed at leisure travellers.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling also set out plans today to introduce the 16 &17 railcard.

It will be launched this coming September with up to 1.2 million young people guaranteed a 50 per cent discount on rail travel to coincide with the new academic year.

Four million people aged 26-30 will be able to purchase the new digital-only "Millennial Railcard"
Rail Delivery Group

Mr Grayling said: "The new 16 & 17 and 26 to 30 railcard will cut fares for a generation of travellers, ensuring more young people than ever will be able to travel on our railways for less.

"Today's announcement of a new 16 & 17 Railcard could cut the cost of travel by hundreds of pounds a year for young people and their parents, making it cheaper to get to school, college and work.

"This builds on the roll-out of the new 26 to 30 Railcard and our record investment into our railways, ensuring people get the frequent, affordable and reliable journeys they deserve."

The 26-30 scheme, the so-called millennial railcard, is being made available for all 4.5 million Britons after the impact on revenue and passenger numbers was assessed.

The cards cost £30 each year and save a third off most fares.

There are no discounts on season tickets and a £12 minimum fare applies to all journeys between 4.30am and 10am, excluding weekends and public holidays.

A spokesman for National Rail told the Standard: "We’re delighted by the high level of demand that the 26-30 Railcard has received since it went on sale at midday today.

"To ensure we give customers a great experience, we have put into place the same type of technology used by other businesses, such as Glastonbury, during high profile launches.

"When customers access the 26-30 Railcard website they are automatically put into a live queue and are able to sign up to receive email alerts, so that they do not have to wait by their computer. There isn’t a limited number of Railcards being made available, so anyone who isn’t planning to travel today can come back another day to make their 26-30 Railcard purchase.”

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