29.05.13
All veterans should get a railcard – Labour
Labour is planning to extend the HM Forces railcard scheme to all veterans who are members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, not just serving military personnel.
The party encouraged train operators to make the change now – as otherwise they will be forced to by the next Labour Government.
According to the Mirror newspaper, shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said the scheme should be expanded to the 330,000 members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, adding: “I know the private train operators will want to do the right thing.”
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy added: “This would be a meaningful move to support those who have given so much to our country. Service personnel’s struggles and sacrifices often do not end when they leave the battlefield.”
Responding to Labour’s proposal, David Mapp, commercial director at the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said: “Train companies support our armed services. 75,000 service personnel and their families make more than one million rail journeys every year using the HM Forces Railcard, a scheme voluntarily funded by operators that provides a third off train tickets. We also provided free travel to Games Venues for service personnel keeping the Olympic and Paralympic Games safe and secure last summer.”
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