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Europe’s continent-wide hop-on, hop-off ticket schemes, Interrail and Eurail, will cease to cover train travel in Britain from 2020, according to a Wednesday announcement.
The passes have long been popular with young people as a way of backpacking across Europe.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), an umbrella organisation that brings together Britain’s passenger and freight services, will end its partnership with Eurail and Interrail from January 1, a statement from the Eurail Group said.
As a result, travellers who purchase the scheme’s Global Pass, which currently covers 31 European countries, “will no longer be able to travel in Great Britain,” the statement added.
The RDG confirmed the news on its Twitter page, “despite us wanting to remain part of the group.” It stressed that the move was “not linked to our membership of the EU.” Britain is currently set to leave the European Union on October 31.
The Interrail passes - for citizens of European countries - and Eurail passes allow “flexible, borderless travel” across the continent, according to the Utrecht-based Eurail Group, which is owned by over 35 European railway and shipping companies.
The Eurostar trains, which link London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, will not be affected by the change.
Tickets purchased before the end of the year will still be valid for British rail travel until they expire.
RDG Regions and Nations director Robert Nisbet blamed the Eurail Group for ending Britain’s “decades-long membership of Interrail.” The end of Britain’s participation comes after British railway firms chose to stop selling Eurail passes, available to travellers from outside Europe.
In his statement, which the RDG posted on Twitter, Nisbet touted the country’s own BritRail scheme as “the best option for tourists.” The move was met with disappointment and criticism online.
Some pointed out the negative impact it could have on Irish rail tourism. “As people travel via UK on inter-rail in both direction [sic], they will either fly [to Ireland} or not bother once this happens,” one Twitter user wrote.
Irish Ferries are a partner in the rail travel schemes.
Mark Smith, a popular rail travel blogger who goes by the name “The Man in Seat 61,” called it “a sad day.” “Brits will still be able to buy and use Interrail passes, but only starting in London, no UK travel covered. Inbound visitors will be discouraged from venturing beyond London as that will cost extra,” he said.
Andy McDonald, the shadow transport minister for Britain’s opposition Labour Party, criticized the change in light of the “climate crisis.” “We should be making it easier for people to travel between countries by rail, not encouraging flying by making rail travel more expensive and difficult,” he wrote on Twitter.
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08/08/2019
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