Travel for Ukrainian refugees joining UK hosts

[mike57]

Can anyone tell me if any arrangements exist to help refugees arriving in the UK with onward rail travel to their hosts, either on a TOC basis or nationally. Been tagged by a group admin on an FB group co-ordinating local arrangements, looks like at least two families who are heading to the East Riding will be arriving either in London or Dover. As a 'rail enthusiast' known to some of the group members I was tagged, but a quick google and a search here didnt really uncover much.

 

[_toommm_]

There are arrangements on the National Rail website, although it isn’t loading conveniently so I can’t post a quote:

https://nationalrail.co.uk/ukr-travel.aspx

 

[mike57]

There are arrangements on the National Rail website, although it isn’t loading conveniently so I can’t post a quote:

https://nationalrail.co.uk/ukr-travel.aspx

Not loading at all for me... Any idea what they are, not going to quote them, just to get an idea.

 

[rvdborgt]

There's also this:

Britain’s train operators offer free travel for Ukrainian arrivals - Network Rail

Operators will provide free onward train travel for Ukrainians on arrival in the UK.

www.networkrail.co.uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Mar 2022 ==

There are arrangements on the National Rail website, although it isn’t loading conveniently so I can’t post a quote:

https://nationalrail.co.uk/ukr-travel.aspx

Insert "www." to make it work:

Ukrainian Displaced Persons Travel Scheme | National Rail

To help Ukrainian nationals travelling to the United Kingdom, most public transport operators, including National Rail, are offering free onward travel to get you to a safe place. 

www.nationalrail.co.uk

 

[Haywain]

Excerpts from a staff brief:

From Sunday 20 March 2022, train operating compaines (TOCs) will provide free Standard class, one-way travel to any National Rail station from any point of entry into Great Britain. This offer extends to London Underground and DLR services across London as part of a National Rail station to National Rail station journey.
Who is entitled to free travel?
Ukrainian passport holders who can provide evidence of entry (such as boarding pass from an airline or free ticket from Eurostar) via any airport, seaport, coach or Eurostar station in Great Britain within the previous 2 days.

Ukrainian nationals escaping conflict are permitted to one single journey in Standard class, on any National Rail service from any point of entry into Great Britain to any National Rail station. They must provide both a Ukrainian passport and evidence of travel within the last 2 days, to Great Britain.

 

[mike57]

OK thanks @_toommm_ and @rvdborgt thats the info I was looking for, seems fairly straight forward.

 

[43096]

Excerpts from a staff brief:

Even with refugees from a war, the railway industry here just can’t help itself but apply restrictions. Utterly pathetic, particularly when compared with what railways on the mainland are doing.

How long before some unfortunate falls foul of an officious guard or RPI?

 

[Watershed]

Even with refugees from a war, the railway industry here just can’t help itself but apply restrictions. Utterly pathetic, particularly when compared with what railways on the mainland are doing.

How long before some unfortunate falls foul of an officious guard or RPI?

More to the point, it's taken the industry more than 3 weeks to come up with such a scheme. It's utterly embarrassing.

 

[Wolfie]

Even with refugees from a war, the railway industry here just can’t help itself but apply restrictions. Utterly pathetic, particularly when compared with what railways on the mainland are doing.

How long before some unfortunate falls foul of an officious guard or RPI?

Sadly Ukraine is not exempt from chancers. Without restrictions a Ukrainian passport would become an indefinite free travel pass.

 

[_toommm_]

There's also this:

Britain’s train operators offer free travel for Ukrainian arrivals - Network Rail

Operators will provide free onward train travel for Ukrainians on arrival in the UK.

www.networkrail.co.uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Mar 2022 ==


Insert "www." to make it work:

Ukrainian Displaced Persons Travel Scheme | National Rail

To help Ukrainian nationals travelling to the United Kingdom, most public transport operators, including National Rail, are offering free onward travel to get you to a safe place. 

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Oops - I know LNER tweeted it so I just copied the link across.

 

[43066]

Sadly Ukraine is not exempt from chancers. Without restrictions a Ukrainian passport would become an indefinite free travel pass.

Indeed.

It’s notable that certain posters who complain constantly about how much the railway costs to run also moan about attempts to protect revenue.

Any excuse to stick the boot in…

 

[CyrusWuff]

More to the point, it's taken the industry more than 3 weeks to come up with such a scheme. It's utterly embarrassing.

Has it taken the industry three weeks to come up with it, or has it taken three weeks to get the DfT/Treasury to sign off on it?

 

[L401CJF]

Has it taken the industry three weeks to come up with it, or has it taken three weeks to get the DfT/Treasury to sign off on it?

Transport for Wales have been accepting Ukrainian Passports for travel since 15th March. Doesnt appear to be any other criteria mentioned on this other than holding a Ukrainian Passport

 

[Wolfie]

Transport for Wales have been accepting Ukrainian Passports for travel since 15th March. Doesnt appear to be any other criteria mentioned on this other than holding a Ukrainian Passport

Wonderful. I seem to recall reading that there were approx 17k Ukrainian nationals holding visas permitting legal residence in the UK prior to this crisis. I'm sure that they all appreciate free travel on trains in Wales....

 

[startingaparty]

Sadly Ukraine is not exempt from chancers. Without restrictions a Ukrainian passport would become an indefinite free travel pass.

I really hope that isn’t what was going through the heads of these policy makers at National Rail. The number of potential Ukrainian passport-holders who intend on travelling around the country for free must be utterly tiny compared to the amount of usual freeloaders on the railway that get away with fare evasion on a daily basis.

 

[Haywain]

The number of potential Ukrainian passport-holders who intend on travelling around the country for free must be utterly tiny

Going by current progress it’s probably bigger than the number of Ukrainian refugees able to get here.

 

[mike57]

Is the person travelling under this scheme expected to present themselves at a ticket office, show their papers and destination where they will be issued with a ticket, or do their papers suffice for permission to travel? I can imagine it not being easy as I dont know what proportion of Ukrainians can speak and understand English, and they use the Cyrillic script. Even given that everyone involved is positive and helpful its going to be quite challenging with liberal use of Google translate I would imagine, get a 'jobsworth' and its going to fall apart very quickly.

One idea is for people who are undertaking a similar journey anyway would travel with the group (with a valid ticket of course) and try and help them navigate things like connections, they would know what the final destination was and be able to explain this to rail staff. I would imagine the refugees will be quite distressed, they will not know what or where they are going to, and will likely have children with them.

 

[Haywain]

Is the person travelling under this scheme expected to present themselves at a ticket office, show their papers and destination where they will be issued with a ticket, or do their papers suffice for permission to travel?

The scheme is the permission and no separate ticket is required.

 

[Mawkie]

Ukrainian nationals can travel on TfL for 48hrs after arrival - evidently they are supposed to carry their boarding card or the ticket they used to arrive in the UK to 'prove' their entry date! (Apologies for the lack of quality.)

 

[trek]

Has it taken the industry three weeks to come up with it, or has it taken three weeks to get the DfT/Treasury to sign off on it?

My TOC has wanted to do it for at least 2 weeks. We are bound by the DfT but also work to follow industry practice and publicity, because it is confusing having a different situation applying to one operator compared to another.

TfW (and Scotrail, Merseyrail, TfL) can do things differently if they so desire based on their own governance.