# UK pushed out of Interrail scheme after dispute



## caravanman (Aug 7, 2019)

UK pushed out of Interrail scheme after dispute:

Quite a complicated story, and nothing to do with Brexit!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49263781

Ed.


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## jis (Aug 7, 2019)

Sounds more like UK chose to not participate anymore, i.e. UK pulled out. [emoji57]


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## ScouseAndy (Aug 8, 2019)

Little Britain complex - we are so very important that we don't need to be in any international partnerships. Total shame and once again the UK is cutting its nose to spite its face


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## cirdan (Aug 8, 2019)

Regrettable, but not totally surprising, seeing the attractivity of InterRail has been gradually eroded over the years. On the one hand through ever more restrictions and price hikes, on the other hand through an increase in special offers by individual rail companies creating alternative means of travelling by train on low budget.


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## jis (Aug 8, 2019)

I found that Eurailpass has become more annoying to use. They now insist that you fill in the travel log to validate each trip, and if you forget, try to fine you E70 or more for each infraction. About 10% of the ticket examiners actually cared to check. Then they want you to mail the whole thing back to them (fortunately at their cost) so that they can see how I used it. I generally decline to give such information to them voluntarily. If they want they can have the participating railroads collect that information through their ticket examiners.

But if you are going to travel a lot in Europe spanning many countries it is still good value. It is not a good value if you will limit yourself to Benelux, and many other regions, which offer better passes limited to their region.

Britain of course continues to have the Britrailpass, which is what I would use if most of my travel was in Birtain anyway.


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## ScouseAndy (Aug 8, 2019)

Common sense has prevailed and the UK won't be leaving Europe.

Well as far as the Euro rail passes go anyway.

Sadly brexit is still happening

https://www.darlingtonandstocktonti...n-end-britains-interrail-membership-reversed/


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 8, 2019)

I personally believe that a half century of post-Brexit retraction and dilution is well earned. 
I do feel bad for the likes of Scotland, Northern Ireland, & London. It's a bad deal for them.
The rest of the UK can swing around on a tether waiving flags like a buffoon for all I care.


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## ScouseAndy (Aug 8, 2019)

Devil's Advocate said:


> I personally believe that a half century of post-Brexit retraction and dilution is well earned.
> I do feel bad for the likes of Scotland, Northern Ireland, & London. It's a bad deal for them.
> The rest of the UK can swing around on a tether waiving flags like a buffoon for all I care.
> 
> View attachment 14697


the mans a joke, sadly I live in a "strong" pro brexit area despite 4.5 out of 10 voting to remain and we all get exactly what we deserve....


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## dogbert617 (Aug 8, 2019)

Devil's Advocate said:


> I personally believe that a half century of post-Brexit retraction and dilution is well earned.
> I do feel bad for the likes of Scotland, Northern Ireland, & London. It's a bad deal for them.
> The rest of the UK can swing around on a tether waiving flags like a buffoon for all I care.
> 
> View attachment 14697



Supposedly, I heard there's an interisland agreement for Ireland and Northern Ireland, that the one exception of places not pulling out of Interrail will be UK trains operating within Northern Ireland. But yes outside of NI and London and points southeast of there, people within UK will be screwed since you'd have to travel to London or stations in the UK southeast of there to just before France, or travel up to NI, for an Interrail Eurail pass to work.

Cirdan's post above, plus this article, makes me think it was a dispute with RDG(which operates trains in the UK) wanting to offer a new type of rail pass(similar to say a USA Rail Pass, or passes for travel in other countries like one for VIA in Canada) for UK train travel, that put it into a dispute with Interrail. Whatever the exact reason was, it's sad to hear they won't be participating in Interrail Eurail passes, after December 2019.


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## jis (Aug 8, 2019)

As stated in https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/th...rrail-scheme-after-dispute.75885/#post-812881 the decision has been reversed and UK will continue to participate in Interail and Eurailpass.

Incidentally UK has had and continues to have its own Britrail Pass. It is not something new that they were planning to start. Frankly I could not quite figure out what the dispute was, but anyway now it is moot.


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## dogbert617 (Aug 8, 2019)

jis said:


> As stated in https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/th...rrail-scheme-after-dispute.75885/#post-812881 the decision has been reversed and UK will continue to participate in Interail and Eurailpass.
> 
> Incidentally UK has had and continues to have its own Britrail Pass. It is not something new that they were planning to start. Frankly I could not quite figure out what the dispute was, but anyway now it is moot.



Ah, don't know how I missed this post earlier. Glad RDG won't pull out of Interrail, after all!


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## cirdan (Aug 9, 2019)

jis said:


> As stated in https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/th...rrail-scheme-after-dispute.75885/#post-812881 the decision has been reversed and UK will continue to participate in Interail and Eurailpass.
> 
> Incidentally UK has had and continues to have its own Britrail Pass. It is not something new that they were planning to start. Frankly I could not quite figure out what the dispute was, but anyway now it is moot.



I understand the UK was one of the few, at least among the larger EU countries, to honour Interrail with no ifs and buts. If you travel in France, Spain etc you can use the pass in principle but need to pay supplements or buy reservations for many trains at the upper to mid end of the quality and speed range, which can in some cases cost up to about half the regular ticket price. Or if you don't want that, you can always try to travel from Madrid to Paris on stopper trains and change umpteen times. Fun for a hardcore railfan maybe, but not so attractive for an average Joe, especially in this age of low cost airlines and buses. So in effect that dilutes the value of Interrail. In Britain it has always been a policy not to charge supplements or to force people into buying reservations. This has made Interrrail a more interesting proposition than it is in many other countries. Neverthless, the takings from the sale of Interrail passes are shared in a way that the UK train operators consider disadvantageous. They would rather sell the Britrail pass where they get to keep all the money.


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