In addition to the large number and variety of short-term or localised promotional fares that have been available to passengers on the British railway network in recent decades (especially since privatisation ), there are many permanent concessionary fare schemes available to passengers. Some of these take the form of Railcards , which can be purchased by people who qualify according to the conditions, and which give discounts for all journeys over a period; other concessions are available for individual journeys. In all cases, details of the type of concession will be printed on the passenger's travel ticket, to distinguish reduced-rate tickets from those sold at the standard full fare.
174-455: Before the rail network was privatised, British Rail introduced several discount cards that were available to certain groups of people. Various reasons are usually cited: All of the schemes were retained after privatisation, despite some threats of abolition. By generating extra income at off-peak times when trains are generally less crowded, they offer a potential commercial benefit for the train operating companies (TOCs). Participation in
348-441: A British overseas territory are accorded British Overseas Territories citizenship and may hold passports issued by the governments of their respective territory. All overseas territory citizens are also now eligible for full British citizenship. Each territory maintains its own criteria for determining whom it grants right of abode. Consequently, individuals holding BOTC passports are not necessarily entitled to enter or reside in
522-415: A United Kingdom passport , United States Passport , New Zealand Passport (after 30 November 2015) or Australian passport . Passport booklets from almost all countries around the world display the national coat of arms of the issuing country on the front cover. The United Nations keeps a record of national coats of arms, but displaying a coat of arms is not an internationally recognised requirement for
696-461: A " Whites only " recruitment policy for guards at Euston station agreed between the local union branch and station management was dropped after the case of Asquith Xavier , a migrant from Dominica , who had been refused promotion on those grounds, was raised in Parliament and taken up by the then Secretary of State for Transport, Barbara Castle . Passenger levels decreased steadily from 1962 to
870-452: A "Community Railway", to maintain and improve the line. Introduced in May 2000, this costs £5.00 for one year, and is available to residents aged 16 or over of certain postal districts along the line of the route, which runs from Swansea to Shrewsbury . A 34% discount is available on all fares for journeys between any two stations on the route. Up to two children can accompany the cardholder for
1044-502: A "full-time student" is considered to be a person who studies at a " recognised educational establishment " for at least 15 hours per week and 20 weeks per year, or a person who holds an International Student Identity Card .) Employees of Rail Delivery Group accredited rail travel agents who pass the Certificate of Rail Agent Competency exam can claim a complimentary 16-25 Railcard without any age restrictions. The standard discount on
1218-521: A "network for development"; the fate of the rest of the network was not discussed in the report. The basis for calculating passenger fares changed in 1964. In future, fares on some routes—such as rural, holiday and commuter services—would be set at a higher level than on other routes; previously, fares had been calculated using a simple rate for the distance travelled, which at the time was 3 d per mile second class, and 4½d per mile first class (equivalent to £0.32 and £0.48 respectively, in 2023 ). In 1966,
1392-598: A 16–25 Railcard, Two Together Railcard, Disabled Person's Railcard, Senior Railcard, Network Railcard, or Family & Friends Railcard for themselves or anyone else for £10 by presenting the relevant application form and the Gold Card or Gold Record Card at a station in the Gold Card area. Following the introduction of the Gold Card and the Partner's Card, a new status code was introduced for tickets issued with these: GOLDC for adult tickets, with child tickets showing CHNGC . GOLD
1566-684: A 34% discount on all ticket types for journeys between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh, Thurso and Wick. In September 1994, the Railcard was made available free, and a 34% discount was available on the standard Child fare for one accompanying child. From 3 January 1999, when the West Highland Railcard was integrated into it, the price became £5.00 and two accompanying children could travel for £2.00 each. The price subsequently rose to its current £7.50 level. The West Highland Railcard lasted just over five years, from 1 October 1993 until 3 January 1999, but
1740-562: A 50% discount. These arrangements began on 6 April 1998. Document explaining the New Deal Scheme, including full details of discounted tickets Railfuture, an independent pressure group for rail users, has been campaigning for a number of years for a National Railcard to replace the plethora of different railcards. Such a card would take a similar form to Deutsche Bahn 's BahnCard in Germany. A study undertaken jointly by Railfuture and
1914-474: A 60% discount subject to a minimum £1.00 fare (rather than a £1.00 flat fare in all cases) and adults being subject to a £10.00 minimum fare on weekdays, the Gold Card's conditions remained the same as before, and have not changed since. First Class Supplement tickets for Gold Card holders costing £5.00 for adults and £3.00 for accompanying children were abolished from 2016, in lieu of which the Gold Card discount became available on first class tickets. At that time,
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#17330859047092088-479: A Corporate Identity Manual which established a coherent brand and design standard for the whole organisation, specifying Rail Blue and pearl grey as the standard colour scheme for all rolling stock; Rail Alphabet as the standard corporate typeface, designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert ; and introducing the now-iconic corporate Identity Symbol of the Double Arrow logo. Designed by Gerald Barney (also of
2262-485: A Gold Card holder is travelling on the route covered by their Gold Card with accompanying adults or children, a separate discounted ticket does not have to be purchased by the Gold Card holder in order to secure the relevant discounts for the other members of the group. As of 2007, these discounts are still available. When the Network Card changed to the more restrictive "Network Railcard" format, with children receiving
2436-601: A Serbian passport. However, these passports are not issued directly by the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs but by the Serbian Coordination Directorate for Kosovo and Metohija instead. These particular passports do not allow the holder to enter the Schengen Area without a visa. As of August 2023, Serbian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 138 countries and territories, ranking
2610-443: A co-holder. At least one adult (which must include one of the named holders) and one child must travel in order to receive the discounts, which are: The maximum group size is four adults and four children. One of the adults in the group must always be the cardholder (or the co-holder, in the case of a jointly-held railcard). Not all ticket types qualify for a discount. This railcard was introduced in 1986, when Network SouthEast
2784-411: A committee chaired by Sir David Serpell was published in 1983. The Serpell Report made no recommendations as such but did set out various options for the network, including, at their most extreme, a skeletal system of less than 2,000 route km (1,240 miles). The report was received with hostility within several circles, which included figures within the government, as well as amongst
2958-610: A conference on passports, the Paris Conference on Passports & Customs Formalities and Through Tickets . Passport guidelines and a general booklet design resulted from the conference, which was followed up by conferences in 1926 and 1927. The League of Nations issued Nansen passports to stateless refugees from 1922 to 1938. While the United Nations held a travel conference in 1963, no passport guidelines resulted from it. Passport standardization came about in 1980, under
3132-614: A diplomatic or consular mission. Pursuant to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations , Vienna Convention on Consular Relations , and the immunity afforded to officials of a foreign state under customary international law , diplomats and other individuals travelling on government business are entitled to reduced scrutiny at border checkpoints when travelling overseas. Consequently, such individuals are typically issued special passports indicating their status. These passports come in three distinct varieties: Unlike most countries,
3306-437: A discounted price of £10.00 applies. The Railcard gives a discount of 34% on all Standard Day, Cheap Day and Saver tickets within the region of validity. This complex area covers: Cardholders must be aged 16 or over, and no co-holders can be named, but up to four accompanied children can travel at a 60% discount on the standard child fare (subject to a £1.00 minimum fare). (In the early years, up to two children could travel for
3480-644: A distinction. Notably, while Singapore does permit visa free entry to all categories of British passport holders, it reduces length of stay for British nationals without right of abode in the United Kingdom, but does not distinguish between ROC passport holders with and without household registration. Until 31 January 2021, holders of British National (Overseas) passports were able to use their UK passports for immigration clearance in Hong Kong and to seek consular protection from overseas Chinese diplomatic missions . This
3654-573: A few days, someone whose passport expires abroad, or someone who urgently needs to travel abroad who does not have a passport with sufficient validity. These passports are intended for very short durations, e.g. to allow immediate one-way travel back to the home country. Laissez-passer are also used for this purpose. Uniquely, the United Kingdom issues emergency passports to citizens of certain Commonwealth states who lose their passports in non-Commonwealth countries where their home state does not maintain
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#17330859047093828-810: A flat fare of £1.00 each for point-to-point tickets, or £2.00 for Day Rangers. While the array of discounts is broadly the same as those available with the Devon Railcard, the former Cornish Railcard offered 34% discounts on Standard Day Singles and Returns as well. These tickets were available for travel during the peak period (before 9.30am). This change prompted criticism that people who travelled frequently but not daily at peak times in Cornwall would have to pay more: although all season tickets for journeys within Cornwall were reduced in price from 10 September 2006, they are only cost-effective for regular travellers (four or five weekdays per week). The original Cornish Railcard
4002-475: A flat fare of £2.00. The Railcard may be purchased at Llandrindod station , or by postal application. The scheme was relaunched and extended on 29 September 2005. This costs £7.50 per year, and is available to applicants aged 16 or over who live in certain areas of the north and west Highlands of Scotland - principally the IV and KW postal districts. A 50% discount is available for the cardholder for all journeys on
4176-521: A flat fare of £2.00.) Only residents in certain postcode areas within the region of validity may apply; however, an arrangement between the Friends of the Settle–Carlisle Line user group and train operator Northern Rail allows members of the group to buy a "Gold Card" (a plastic magnetic stripe card with an integrated circuit chip, rather than a printed paper card) giving them the same benefits as
4350-399: A foreign country, access local aid and protection, and obtain consular assistance from their government. In addition to facilitating travel, passports are a key mechanism for border security and regulating migration ; they may also serve as official identification for various domestic purposes. State-issued travel documents have existed in some form since antiquity; the modern passport
4524-437: A grander logo for the railways. BR's second corporate logo (1956–1965), designed in consultation with Charles Franklyn and inspired by the much more detailed BTC crest, depicted a rampant lion emerging from a heraldic crown and holding a spoked wheel, all enclosed in a roundel with the "British Railways" name displayed across a bar on either side. This emblem soon acquired the nickname of the "Ferret and Dartboard". A variant of
4698-414: A lack of standardisation. At the same time, containerised freight was being developed. The marshalling yard building programme was a failure, being based on a belief in the continued viability of wagon-load traffic in the face of increasingly effective road competition, and lacking effective forward planning or realistic assessments of future freight. A 2002 documentary broadcast on BBC Radio 4 blamed
4872-405: A legal right to be issued a passport; third, each country's government, in exercising its executive discretion, has complete and unfettered discretion to refuse to issue or to revoke a passport; and fourth, that the latter discretion is not subject to judicial review. However, legal scholars including A.J. Arkelian have argued that evolutions in both the constitutional law of democratic countries and
5046-529: A local level by the pay and administration offices at the member's unit. The Two Together Railcard offers a discount of one-third on most off-peak tickets nationwide, for two named individuals travelling together. During its trial period, which lasted from 5 September 2011 until 19 May 2012, the main applicant for a Two Together Railcard must live within the West Midlands area (postcodes beginning B, CV, DY, WS or WV). In early 2014 National Rail began advertising
5220-466: A minimum of six months beyond the planned date of departure, as well as having at least two to four blank pages. It is recommended that a passport be valid for at least six months from the departure date as many airlines deny boarding to passengers whose passport has a shorter expiry date, even if the destination country does not have such a requirement for incoming visitors. There is an increasing trend for adult passports to be valid for ten years, such as
5394-450: A more restricted geographical area was merged with the former West Highland Railcard , which was itself introduced in 1993. The "original" Highland Railcard scheme appears to date from 1988, as ticket stock (British Rail form number BR 4599/79) was being printed in that year, but only the details of its subsequent relaunches are known. The first change happened as from 1 October 1991, with a six-month Railcard being priced at £4.00 and giving
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5568-449: A passport in that capacity. Countries with conscription or national service requirements may impose restrictions on passport applicants who have not yet completed their military obligations. For example, in Finland , male citizens aged 18–30 years must prove that they have completed, or are exempt from, their obligatory military service to be granted an unrestricted passport ; otherwise
5742-407: A passport is issued valid only until the end of their 28th year, to ensure that they return to carry out military service. Other countries with obligatory military service, such as South Korea and Syria , have similar requirements, e.g. South Korean passport and Syrian passport . Passports have a limited validity, usually between 5 and 10 years. Many countries require passports to be valid for
5916-680: A passport varies by jurisdiction, although citizenship is a common prerequisite. However, a passport may be issued to individuals who do not have the status or full rights of citizenship, such as American or British nationals . Likewise, certain classes of individuals, such as diplomats and government officials, may be issued special passports that provide certain rights and privileges, such as immunity from arrest or prosecution . While passports are typically issued by national governments, certain subnational entities are authorised to issue passports to citizens residing within their borders. Additionally, other types of official documents may serve
6090-405: A passport. There are several groups of countries that have, by mutual agreement, adopted common designs for their passports: Passports sometimes contain a message, usually near the front, requesting that the passport's bearer be allowed to pass freely, and further requesting that, in the event of need, the bearer be granted assistance. The message is sometimes made in the name of the government or
6264-655: A person could enter or leave the countryside. Passports were an important part of the Chinese bureaucracy as early as the Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD), if not in the Qin dynasty . They required such details as age, height, and bodily features. These passports ( 傳 ; zhuan ) determined a person's ability to move throughout imperial counties and through points of control. Even children needed passports, but those of one year or less who were in their mother's care may not have needed them. In
6438-498: A person whose only connection to the United States is through birth in an outlying possession (which is defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1101 as American Samoa and Swains Island , the latter of which is administered as part of American Samoa), or through descent from a person so born, acquires U.S. nationality but not the citizenship. This was formerly the case in a few other current or former U.S. overseas possessions , i.e.
6612-470: A platform of revising many of the cuts, Tom Fraser instead authorised the closure 1,071 mi of railway lines, following the recommendations from the Beeching Report even lines not considered closing. After he resigned in 1967, his replacement Barbara Castle continued the line and station closures but introduced the first Government rail subsidies for socially necessary but unprofitable railways in
6786-722: A private heritage railway. Other preserved lines, or heritage railways , have reopened lines previously closed by British Rail. These range from picturesque rural branch lines like the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway to sections of mainline such as the Great Central Railway . Many have links to the National Rail network, both at station interchanges, for example, the Severn Valley Railway between Kidderminster and Kidderminster Town , and physical rail connections like
6960-525: A programme of closures began almost immediately after nationalisation. However, the general financial position of BR became gradually poorer until an operating loss was recorded in 1955. The Executive itself had been abolished in 1953 by the Conservative government, and control of BR transferred to the parent Commission. Other changes to the British Transport Commission at the same time included
7134-456: A result of the legislation granting independence to those former British colonies. British Protected Person passports are issued to otherwise stateless people connected to a former British protectorate . British subject passports are issued to otherwise stateless individuals connected to British India or to certain categories of Irish citizens (though, in the latter case, they do convey right of abode). Additionally, individuals connected to
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7308-399: A similar role to passports but are subject to different eligibility requirements, purposes, or restrictions. Etymological sources show that the term "passport" may derive from a document required by some medieval Italian states in order for an individual to pass through the physical harbor (Italian passa porto , "to pass the harbor") or gate (Italian passa porte , "to pass the gates") of
7482-755: A sovereign territory issue documents described as passports, most notably Iroquois League , the Aboriginal Provisional Government in Australia and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta . Such documents are not necessarily accepted for entry into a country. Each country sets its own conditions for the issue of passports. Under the law of most countries, passports are government property, and may be limited or revoked at any time, usually on specified grounds, and possibly subject to judicial review. In many countries, surrender of one's passport
7656-535: A time. Discounts were available on all Standard class travel tickets within England and Wales, Peak and Off Peak One Day Travelcards , Seven Day Season Tickets and Travelcards, and Longer Period (one month and more) Season Tickets and Travelcards, subject to the validity of the Photocard. There were no discounts for First Class tickets. The scheme was introduced in 1998, with Photocards being issued from 24 May 1998. The scheme
7830-475: A total value of £60M per year would not be made by rail. Approximately 2,200,000 Railcards are in use at any one time in Britain. The 16-17 Saver was introduced in 2019 in order to allow people aged 16 and 17 to access child fares, which are normally only available to children under 16. The railcard costs £30.00 for a year (or until the holder's 18th birthday, whichever is sooner), and offers up to 50% off rail fares,
8004-476: A valid birth certificate , passport or driving licence confirming the applicant's age. Up to the early 1990s, up to four accompanying children could travel for £1.00 each, and the standard discount on the full adult fare was 50%. The railcard was known at that time as the Senior Citizen Railcard . In 1992, however, the "new" Senior Railcard was phased in; the standard discount became 34%, and there
8178-553: A variety of other types of passports by governments in specific circumstances. While individuals are typically only permitted to hold one passport, certain governments permit citizens to hold more than one ordinary passport. Individuals may also simultaneously hold an ordinary passport and an official or diplomatic passport. Emergency passports (also called temporary passports) are issued to persons with urgent need to travel who do not have passports, e.g. someone abroad whose passport has been lost or stolen who needs to travel home within
8352-525: A walled city or jurisdiction. Such documents were issued by local authorities to foreign travellers—as opposed to local citizens, as is the modern practice—and generally contained a list of towns and cities the document holder was permitted to enter or pass through. On the whole, documents were not required for travel to seaports, which were considered open trading points , but documents were required to pass harbor controls and travel inland from seaports. The transition from private to state control over movement
8526-468: A working railway, in 1948 the line was principally a tourist attraction . British Rail operated the line using steam locomotives long after the withdrawal of standard-gauge steam. The line's three steam locomotives were the only ones to receive TOPS serial numbers and be painted in BR Rail Blue livery with the double arrow logo. The Vale of Rheidol Railway was privatised in 1989 and continues to operate as
8700-527: A year before the holder turns 18 will only be valid until the holder's 18th birthday instead of for a full year. Applications must be supported by a valid form of ID, such as a passport, driving license, or national ID card, to prove the age of the applicant. This railcard costs £30.00, and is available to anybody between the ages of 16 and 25 (inclusive) - a person may purchase one the day before their 26th birthday and use it up to their 27th. Also, full-time students aged 26 or above may buy one. (In this instance,
8874-533: A year later when the BTC was abolished the name of the force was amended to the British Transport Police. This name and its role within policing on the rail network was continued post-1994. Despite its nationalisation in 1947 "as one of the 'commanding heights' of the economy", according to some sources British Rail was not profitable for most (if not all) of its history. Newspapers reported that as recently as
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#17330859047099048-535: A £1.00 minimum fare). The Railcard is only available to residents living in the boroughs of Stockton-on-Tees , Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland and the Hambleton , Scarborough and Ryedale districts of North Yorkshire . All revenue raised through the sale of these Railcards is used by the Esk Valley Railway Development Company, a not-for-profit organisation which runs the line as
9222-426: Is a condition of granting bail in lieu of imprisonment for a pending criminal trial due to the risk of the person leaving the country. When passport holders apply for a new passport (commonly, due to expiration of the previous passport, insufficient validity for entry to some countries or lack of blank pages), they may be required to surrender the old passport for invalidation. In some circumstances an expired passport
9396-404: Is also available. Initially, Gold Card holders could have a free Network Card issued to them on behalf of a friend, relative or partner; but from 8 January 1989, the new Partner's Card (on dedicated APTIS ticket stock, form number BR 4599/69) was issued instead, at a cost of £1.00. A relative or friend of the Gold Card holder could be nominated, and the Partner's Card could be used independently of
9570-634: Is found in a 1414 Act of Parliament . In 1540, granting travel documents in England became a role of the Privy Council of England , and it was around this time that the term "passport" was used. In 1794, issuing British passports became the job of the Office of the Secretary of State . In the Holy Roman Empire , the 1548 Imperial Diet of Augsburg required the public to hold imperial documents for travel, at
9744-459: Is not associated with right of abode in any territory. BN(O)s who do not possess Chinese (or any other) nationality are required to use a Document of Identity for Visa Purposes for travel. This restriction disproportionally affects ease of travel for permanent residents of Indian, Pakistani, and Nepali ethnicity , who were not granted Chinese nationality in 1997. As an additional consequence, Hongkongers seeking early pre-retirement withdrawals from
9918-637: Is not required to be surrendered or invalidated (for example, if it contains an unexpired visa). Requirements for passport applicants vary significantly from country to country, with some states imposing stricter measures than others. For example, Pakistan requires applicants to be interviewed before a Pakistani passport will be granted. When applying for a passport or a national ID card, all Pakistanis are required to sign an oath declaring Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be an impostor prophet and all Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. In contrast, individuals holding British National (Overseas) status are legally entitled to hold
10092-449: Is only available to residents of the area. This costs £7.50 for a year, and gives 34% discounts on Standard Day singles and Off-Peak Day singles (formerly "Cheap Day singles") and returns between Worcester Foregate Street and Oxford (and intermediate stops). Cardholders must be aged 16 or over, no co-holders can be named, and there are no discounts for accompanying adults or children. The Railcard can be bought at any staffed station on
10266-567: Is subject to immigration controls when clearing ROC border controls, does not have automatic residence rights, and cannot vote in Taiwanese elections . However, they are exempt from conscription . Most individuals with this status are children born overseas to ROC citizens who do hold household registration. Additionally, because the ROC observes the principle of jus sanguinis , members of the overseas Chinese community are also regarded as citizens. During
10440-665: The Beeching cuts . Trunk routes were considered to be the most important, and so electrification of the Great Eastern Main Line from London to Norwich was completed between 1976 and 1986 and on the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh between 1985 and 1990. Train manufacturer British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) produced the capable InterCity 125 and Sprinter sets, the introduction of which improved intercity and regional railways, respectively, as well as
10614-526: The Big Four British railway companies along with some other (but not all) smaller railways. Profitability of the railways became a pressing concern during the 1950s, leading to multiple efforts to bolster performance, including some line closures. The 1955 Modernisation Plan formally directed a process of dieselisation and electrification to take place; accordingly, steam locomotives had been entirely replaced by diesel and electric traction (except for
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#173308590470910788-538: The Cold War , both the ROC and PRC governments actively sought the support of overseas Chinese communities in their attempts to secure the position as the legitimate sole government of China. The ROC also encouraged overseas Chinese businessmen to settle in Taiwan to facilitate economic development and regulations concerning evidence of ROC nationality by descent were particularly lax during the period, allowing many overseas Chinese
10962-595: The Danish Realm have a common nationality. Denmark proper is a member of the European Union , but Greenland and Faroe Islands are not. Danish citizens residing in Greenland or Faroe Islands can choose between holding a Danish EU passport and a Greenlandic or Faroese non-EU Danish passport. As of 21 September 2022, Danish citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 188 countries and territories, thus ranking
11136-664: The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the Southern Railway (SR). During World War I , the railways were under state control, which continued until 1921. Complete nationalisation had been considered, and the Railways Act 1921 is sometimes considered as a precursor to that, but the concept was rejected. Nationalisation was subsequently carried out after World War II , under the Transport Act 1947 . This Act made provision for
11310-877: The Mandatory Provident Fund pension scheme may not use BN(O) passports for identity verification. Similarly, non-citizens in Latvia and in Estonia are individuals, primarily of Russian or Ukrainian ethnicity, who are not citizens of Latvia or Estonia but whose families have resided in the area since the Soviet era, and thus have the right to a special non-citizen passport issued by the government as well as some other specific rights. Approximately two thirds of them are ethnic Russians , followed by ethnic Belarusians, ethnic Ukrainians, ethnic Poles and ethnic Lithuanians. This form of legal discrimination has been labelled as xenophobic by
11484-524: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China launched a trial issuance of e-passports for individuals conducting public affairs work overseas on behalf of the Chinese government. The face, fingerprints, and other biometric features of the passport holder is digitized and stored in pre-installed contactless smart chip , along with "the passport owner's name, sex and personal photo as well as
11658-649: The Network SouthEast area of London and southeast England. Annual season tickets issued for journeys within this area became known as Gold Cards , and the season ticket functioned as a Railcard giving various benefits which were broadly the same as those received by holders of the former Network Card: 34% discounts for themselves and up to three accompanying adults on most off-peak fares, £1.00 flat-fare tickets for children, and First Class Supplement upgrades. The same time restriction (after 10.00am on weekdays; all day at weekends and on public holidays) also applied. When
11832-598: The Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway . The London Underground also became publicly owned, becoming the London Transport Executive of the British Transport Commission. The Bicester Military Railway was already run by the government. The electric Liverpool Overhead Railway was also excluded from nationalisation . The Railway Executive was conscious that some lines on the (then very dense) network were unprofitable and hard to justify socially, and
12006-675: The Panama Canal Zone and Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands . The passport issued to non-citizen nationals contains the endorsement code 9 which states: "THE BEARER IS A UNITED STATES NATIONAL AND NOT A UNITED STATES CITIZEN." on the annotations page. Non-citizen nationals may reside and work in the United States without restrictions, and may apply for citizenship under the same rules as resident aliens. Like resident aliens, they are not presently allowed by any U.S. state to vote in federal or state elections . Several entities without
12180-503: The Railway Executive . The Executive attempted to introduce a modern Art Deco -style curved logo, which could also serve as the standard for station signage totems. BR eventually adopted the common branding of the BTC as its first corporate logo, a lion astride a spoked wheel, designed for the BTC by Cecil Thomas ; on the bar overlaid across the wheel, the BTC's name was replaced with the words "British Railways". This logo, nicknamed
12354-567: The Secretary of State for Transport , and is now employed as a generic symbol on street signs in Great Britain denoting railway stations. The rail transport system in Great Britain developed during the 19th century. After the grouping of 1923 under the Railways Act 1921 , there were four large railway companies, each dominating its own geographic area: the Great Western Railway (GWR), the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS),
12528-417: The Transport Act 1968 . Part of these provisions was the creation of a passenger transport executive or PTE within larger metropolitan areas. Prior to this, public transport was run by individual local authorities and private companies, with little co-ordination. The PTEs took over the responsibility (but not ownership) of managing local rail networks. The 1968 Act created five new bodies. These were: This
12702-619: The UN Special Rapporteur . Per Russian visa policy , holders of the Estonian alien's passport or the Latvian non-citizen passport are entitled to visa free entry to Russia, in contrast to Estonian and Latvian citizens who must obtain an electronic visa. The People's Republic of China (PRC) authorises its Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau to issue passports to their permanent residents with Chinese nationality under
12876-564: The Valley Lines network in South Wales, discounts are available with two Railcards: The Maesteg Line was initially excluded from the routes on which the railcards were valid; this anomaly was removed on 5 January 2003. Between 12 May 1985 and 8 October 1988, holders of Annual Season Tickets could buy an Annual Season Ticket Holder's Railcard which gave a 50% discount on Cheap Day Return fares and 34% off Saver tickets for journeys throughout
13050-535: The Watercress Line at Alton . Although most are operated solely as leisure amenities, some also provide educational resources, and a few have ambitions to restore commercial services over routes abandoned by the nationalised industry. Passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in
13224-466: The narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway tourist line) by 1968. On 1 January 1963, the British Railways Board was created to manage the railways as a successor to the British Transport Commission. It was during the 1960s that perhaps the most substantial changes were made. Seeking to reduce rail subsidies , one-third of the network and over half of all stations were permanently closed under
13398-484: The privatisation of British Rail . Following completion of the privatisation process in 1997, responsibility for track, signalling and stations was transferred to Railtrack (later brought under public control as Network Rail ) while services were run by a variety of train operating companies . At the end of the process, any remaining obligations of British Rail were transferred to BRB (Residuary) Limited . The British Rail Double Arrow logo remains in place, now owned by
13572-475: The " one country, two systems " arrangement. Visa policies imposed by foreign authorities on Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents holding such passports are different from those holding ordinary passports of the People's Republic of China. A Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport (HKSAR passport) and Macau Special Administrative Region passport (MSAR passport) gain visa-free access to many more countries than ordinary PRC passports . On 1 July 2011,
13746-590: The "Cycling Lion", was applied from 1948 to 1956 to the sides of locomotives, while the ‘hot dog’ design was adopted for smaller station name signs, known officially as ‘lamp tablets’ and coloured for the appropriate BR region, using Gill Sans lettering first adopted by the LNER from 1929. In 1956, the BTC was granted a heraldic achievement by the College of Arms and the Lord Lyon , and then BTC chairman Brian Robertson wanted
13920-401: The 1950s decisions for the "beleaguered" condition of the railway system at that time. During the late 1950s, railway finances continued to worsen; whilst passenger numbers grew after restoring many services reduced during the war, and in 1959 the government stepped in, limiting the amount the BTC could spend without ministerial authority. A White Paper proposing reorganisation was published in
14094-534: The 1955 programme (costing £1.2 billion), but did so largely for political reasons. This included the withdrawal of steam traction and its replacement by diesel (and some electric) locomotives. Not all modernisations would be effective at reducing costs. The dieselisation programme gave contracts primarily to British suppliers, who had limited experience of diesel locomotive manufacture, and rushed commissioning based on an expectation of rapid electrification; this resulted in numbers of locomotives with poor designs and
14268-588: The 1990s, public rail subsidy was counted as profit; as early as 1961, British Railways were losing £300,000 a day. Although the company was considered the sole public-transport option in many rural areas, the Beeching cuts made buses the only public transport available in some rural areas. Despite increases in traffic congestion and road fuel prices beginning to rise in the 1990s, British Rail remained unprofitable. Following sectorisation, InterCity became profitable. InterCity became one of Britain's top 150 companies, providing city centre to city centre travel across
14442-424: The 7,000 stations would close. Beeching, who is thought to have been the author of most of the report, set out some dire figures. One third of the network was carrying just 1% of the traffic. Of the 18,000 passenger coaches, 6,000 were said to be used only 18 times a year or less. Although maintaining them cost between £3 million and £4 million a year, they earned only about £0.5 million. Most of
14616-756: The Beeching cuts a generation earlier but which had seen passenger services withdrawn. This included the bulk of the Chester and Connah's Quay Railway in 1992, the Brierley Hill to Walsall section of the South Staffordshire line in 1993, while the Birmingham to Wolverhampton section of the Great Western Railway was closed in three phases between 1972 and 1992. Following the election of Labour in 1964, on
14790-539: The British Rail network. Discounted tickets were issued with the status code AST-H . Up to four children could travel with the Railcard holder for £1.00 each; their tickets were printed with status code CHAST . Discounted Cheap Day Returns could not be bought on Fridays. From September 1987, more than 12 months before the Annual Season Ticket Holder's Railcard was discontinued, a similar scheme began in
14964-616: The Child fare. As with the Highland Railcard, a relaunch in September 1994 made the card free of charge; the route to Oban was included at the same time. The British Rail form number for the ticket stock was BR 4599/145. This costs £5.00 for one year, and is available to residents (aged 16 or over) of certain postal districts in Pembrokeshire . Discounts of 34% are available on all journeys on
15138-455: The DRU), this arrow device was formed of two interlocked arrows across two parallel lines, symbolising a double-track railway. It was likened to a bolt of lightning or barbed wire , and also acquired a nickname: "the arrow of indecision". A mirror image of the double arrow was used on the port side of BR-owned Sealink ferry funnels. The new BR corporate identity and double arrow were displayed at
15312-999: The Danish passport fifth in the world (tied with the passports of Austria , the Netherlands , and Sweden ) according to the Henley Passport Index . According to the World Tourism Organization 2016 report, the Danish passport is first in the world (tied with Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Singapore, and the United Kingdom) in terms of travel freedom, with the mobility index of 160 (out of 215 with no visa weighted by 1, visa on arrival weighted by 0.7, eVisa by 0.5 and traditional visa weighted by 0). Under Serbian law, people born or otherwise legally settled in Kosovo are considered Serbian nationals and as such they are entitled to
15486-578: The Design Centre in London in early 1965, and the brand name of the organisation was shortened to "British Rail". It is now employed as a generic symbol on street signs in Great Britain denoting railway stations, and is still printed on railway tickets as part of the Rail Delivery Group 's jointly managed National Rail brand. The uniformity of BR branding continued until the process of sectorisation
15660-550: The Double Arrow symbol, which has survived to this day and serves as a generic trademark to denote railway services across Great Britain. The BR Corporate Identity Manual is noted as a piece of British design history and there are plans for it to be re-published. With its creation in 1948, British Railways was divided into regions which were initially based on the areas the former Big Four operated in; later, several lines were transferred between regions. Notably, these included
15834-471: The Employment Service), administered a scheme whereby unemployed people can gain discounts of 50% on a wide range of travel and Season tickets. This was intended to assist them in their search for employment, although they can be used for discounts on leisure journeys as well. The Employment Service authorised and issued the cards, originally called New Deal Photocards, which were valid for three months at
16008-460: The Gold Card—the two cardholders did not have to travel together. The First Class Supplement benefit was withdrawn from Partner's Cards at the same time as from Network Railcards. The card issued to the partner was later made once again a Network Railcard costing £1 and subject to the substantial minimum fare rule. This arrangement was eventually abolished in 2016; Gold Card holders may now purchase
16182-595: The London area; Provincial (renamed Regional Railways in 1989) responsible for all other passenger services. In the metropolitan counties local services were managed by the Passenger Transport Executives . Provincial was the most subsidised (per passenger km) of the three sectors; upon formation, its costs were four times its revenue . During the 1980s British Rail ran the Rail Riders membership club aimed at 5- to 15-year-olds. Because British Railways
16356-559: The Rail Passengers Council (now known as Transport Focus ) in April 2003 suggested that three million people would buy such a Railcard for £20.00 if it gave a one third discount on off-peak fares. The "most conservative forecast" indicated that 2.7 million people would buy a card at this price and with this discount, increasing passenger mileage per annum by 11% and rail industry profits by £50M. The profit-maximising combination
16530-435: The Railcard was halved in price. By 1986, a 50% discount was only available on Cheap Day Returns; all other tickets received a 34% discount. Reduced-rate Seven Day Season Tickets could also now be bought by Railcard holders. Also, the price had increased to £7.00 (adults) and £3.50 (children). By 1989, another major change had taken place: only Cornwall residents could buy the Railcard; a Photocard (photographic identity card)
16704-651: The Railcards have unique status codes assigned to them. This costs £10.00 for a year. Cardholders must be aged 16 or over, no co-holders can be named, and there are no discounts for accompanying adults or children. A discount of 34% is available on Day Singles, Off-Peak Day Returns (formerly called "Cheap Day Returns"), Super Off-Peak (formerly "Supersaver") tickets on the Cambrian Coast route between Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Pwllheli. The Railcard can only be purchased at Aberystwyth and Machynlleth stations, and
16878-640: The Senior Railcard, a previous version existed under a different name (the Network Card ). The current version costs £30. This railcard was available in a one-year version for £14.00 until 5 September 2006 since then it has also been available in a 3-year version. As of September 2024 it currently costs: The qualification criteria also changed slightly at this date. Disabled Persons Railcards are not issued at National Rail stations; they must be applied for by post or online. These are available to all members of
17052-457: The Serbian passport 38th overall in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index . Serbian passport is one of the 5 passports with the most improved rating globally since 2006 in terms of number of countries that its holders may visit without a visa. Although all U.S. citizens are also U.S. nationals, the reverse is not true. As specified in 8 U.S.C. § 1408 ,
17226-507: The Two Together Railcard on posters at railway stations in central London. The Two Together Railcard was launched nationally on Monday 3 March 2014. The Network Railcard is the main example of a local railcard, but various others are available in much more localised areas, or even for a single line. In many cases, adult tickets are issued with the status code LOCRC ( Loc al R ail c ard); child tickets show CHLOC . However, some of
17400-564: The UK using one of the machines was at Upminster station on 21 March 2007. Before the rail network was privatised, British Rail introduced several discount cards through the APTIS that were available to certain demographics, issued either by National or Regional schemes: The narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway in Ceredigion, Wales, became part of British Railways at nationalisation. Although built as
17574-450: The United Kingdom and the Republic of China issue various categories of passports to individuals without the right of abode in their territory. In the United Kingdom's case, these passports are typically issued to individuals connected with a former British colony while, in the ROC's case, these passports are the result of the legal distinction between ROC nationals with and without residence in
17748-582: The Young Persons, Senior and Disabled Persons Railcard schemes is mandatory for all TOCs under their franchise agreements; the Family and HM Forces Railcard schemes are notionally voluntary, but all TOCs participate in them. For the Network Railcard , which has a restricted geographical area, all TOCs in the relevant area are members of the scheme and participate in it. The revenue applicable to each TOC from
17922-527: The ages of 5 and 15 (inclusive) travel at half of the standard adult fare. (Full adult fare for journeys are almost always in multiples of £0.10; in the rare instances where the adult fare is a multiple of £0.05, the child fare will be rounded up to the nearest £0.05.) Children can gain further reductions by travelling with adults who are using certain Railcards, or adults travelling on certain other concessionary tickets. British Rail British Railways ( BR ), which from 1965 traded as British Rail ,
18096-469: The area it administers. In both cases, holders of such passports are able to obtain residence on an equal footing with foreigners by applying for indefinite leave to remain (UK) or a resident certificate (ROC). A Republic of China citizen who does not have household registration ( Chinese : 戶籍 ; pinyin : hùjí ) in the area administered by the ROC is classified as a National Without Household Registration (NWOHR; Chinese : 無戶籍國民 ) and
18270-475: The auspices of the ICAO . ICAO standards include those for machine-readable passports . Such passports have an area where some of the information otherwise written in textual form is written as strings of alphanumeric characters, printed in a manner suitable for optical character recognition . This enables border controllers and other law enforcement agents to process these passports more quickly, without having to input
18444-452: The boundaries of its validity were extended, it changed from priced to free of charge, and the areas prospective holders had to live in to qualify were altered. For the first year, the Railcard cost £5.00 for 12 months, and could be used for all journeys between Mallaig and Helensburgh Upper , and for through tickets on to Glasgow Queen Street. All fares were discounted by 34% with the Railcard, and one accompanying child could travel for 34% off
18618-544: The closures were carried out between 1963 and 1970 (including some which were not listed in the report), while other suggested closures were not carried out. The closures were heavily criticised at the time. A small number of stations and lines closed under the Beeching programme have been reopened, with further reopenings proposed. A second Beeching report, "The Development of the Major Trunk Routes", followed in 1965. This did not recommend closures as such but outlined
18792-419: The county. This costs £12.00 per year, and gives a discount of 34% on all Standard Day, Cheap Day and Saver tickets in the area of validity. This covers journeys between Whitby and Great Ayton inclusive, and also for journeys from these stations to the other stations on the line - Nunthorpe , Gypsy Lane , Marton and Middlesbrough . The 34% discount, and accompanying child discount (again subject to
18966-617: The discounts became available from 09:30 instead of 10:00 on weekdays, the area of operation extended well into the West Midlands, and Virgin Trains and Virgin Trains East Coast (now LNER) withdrew from accepting Gold Card discounts. CrossCountry continues to accept them based on the old area, with a northern limit of Banbury. A card giving the same benefits, usually known as the Partner's Card but officially named Gold Card Partner's Network Card ,
19140-500: The early 1970s. Tickets issued from British Rail's APTIS system had a considerable amount of information presented in a consistent, standard format. The design for all tickets was created by Colin Goodall . This format has formed the basis for all subsequent ticket issuing systems introduced on the railway network – ticket-office-based, self-service and conductor-operated machines alike. APTIS survived in widespread use for twenty years but, in
19314-487: The early 1990s): In addition, the non-passenger sectors were: The maintenance and remaining engineering works were split off into a new company, British Rail Maintenance Limited . The new sectors were further subdivided into divisions. This ended the BR blue period as new liveries were adopted gradually. Infrastructure remained the responsibility of the regions until the "Organisation for Quality" initiative in 1991 when this too
19488-488: The early 2000s, was largely replaced by more modern PC-based ticketing systems. Some APTIS machines in the Greater London area were modified as APTIS-ANT (with no obvious difference to the ticket issued) to make them Oyster card compatible. The last APTIS machines were removed at the end of 2006 as there was no option to upgrade them to accept Chip and PIN credit card payments. The last APTIS-ANT ticket to be issued in
19662-402: The figures in both this and the original plan were produced for political reasons and not based on detailed analysis. The aim was to increase speed, reliability, safety, and line capacity through a series of measures that would make services more attractive to passengers and freight operators, thus recovering traffic lost to the roads. Important areas included: The government appeared to endorse
19836-409: The following routes, with up to two children accompanying the cardholder being charged a £2.00 flat fare: Railcards are issued after an application form is completed and submitted by post or to the ticket office at Dingwall , Fort William , Inverness, Kyle of Lochalsh, Mallaig, Oban, Thurso or Wick stations. The current form of the Railcard dates from 3 January 1999, when a previous version covering
20010-466: The following year, and a new structure was brought into effect by the Transport Act 1962. This abolished the commission and replaced it by several separate boards. These included a British Railways Board, which took over on 1 January 1963. Following semi-secret discussions on railway finances by the government-appointed Stedeford Committee in 1961, one of its members, Dr Richard Beeching , was offered
20184-709: The former Great Central lines from the Eastern Region to the London Midland Region, and the West of England Main Line from the Southern Region to Western Region The North Eastern Region was merged with the Eastern Region in 1967. In 1982, the regions were abolished as the service provider (but retained for administration) and replaced by "business sectors", a process known as sectorisation . The passenger sectors were (by
20358-616: The four old railway police forces, the London Transport Police, canal police and several minor dock forces. In 1957 the Maxwell-Johnson enquiry found that policing requirements for the railway could not be met by civil forces and that it was essential that a specialist police force be retained. On 1 January 1962, the British Transport Commission Police ceased to cover British Waterways property and exactly
20532-437: The full adult fare is 33.4% (changed from 34% in 2024), rounded down to the nearest £0.05; virtually all ticket types (although not season tickets) qualify for a discount. No discounts are available for accompanying children. In addition, a minimum fare applies before 10:00 Monday to Friday; this used to be £8.00 for a single ticket and discounted returns, and £16.00 for full-price return ticket types. However, from 17 May 2009
20706-568: The go-ahead, including the East Coast Main Line , the spur from Doncaster to Leeds , and the lines in East Anglia out of London Liverpool Street to Norwich and King's Lynn . The list with approximate completion dates includes: In the Southwest, the South West Main Line from Bournemouth to Weymouth was electrified along with other infill 750 V DC third rail electrification in
20880-600: The head of state, and may be written in more than one language, depending on the language policies of the issuing authority. In 1920, an international conference on passports and through tickets held by the League of Nations recommended that passports be issued in the French language , historically the language of diplomacy, and one other language. Currently, the ICAO recommends that passports be issued in English, French, and Spanish; or in
21054-604: The holder's identity and right to travel, with pages available for inserting entry and exit stamps and travel visas —endorsements that allow the individual to enter and temporarily reside in a country for a period of time and under certain conditions. Since 1998, many countries have transitioned to biometric passports , which contain an embedded microchip to facilitate authentication and safeguard against counterfeiting . As of July 2024, over 150 jurisdictions issue such "e-passports"; previously issued non-biometric passports usually remain valid until expiration. Eligibility for
21228-428: The information manually into a computer. ICAO publishes Doc 9303 Machine Readable Travel Documents , the technical standard for machine-readable passports. A more recent standard is for biometric passports . These contain biometrics to authenticate the identity of travellers. The passport's critical information is stored on a tiny RFID computer chip, much like information stored on smartcards . Like some smartcards,
21402-549: The international law applicable to all countries now render those historical tenets both obsolete and unlawful. Governments around the world issue a variety of passports for different purposes. The most common variety are ordinary passports issued to individual citizens and other nationals . In the past, certain countries issued collective passports or family passports. Today, passports are typically issued to individual travellers rather than groups. Aside from ordinary passports issued to citizens by national governments, there are
21576-502: The king granted leave and gave him a letter "to the governors beyond the river" requesting safe passage for him as he traveled through their lands. The ancient Indian political text Arthashastra (third century BCE) mentions passes issued at the rate of one masha per pass to enter and exit the country, and describes the duties of the Mudrādhyakṣa ( lit. ' Superintendent of Seals ' ) who must issue sealed passes before
21750-515: The late 1970s, and reached a low in 1982. Network improvements included completing electrification of the Great Eastern Main Line from London to Norwich between 1976 and 1986 and the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh between 1985 and 1990. A mainline route closure during this period of relative network stability was the 1,500 V DC -electrified Woodhead line between Manchester and Sheffield : passenger service ceased in 1970 and goods in 1981. A further British Rail report from
21924-507: The later part of the nineteenth century and up to World War I, passports were not required, on the whole, for travel within Europe, and crossing a border was a relatively straightforward procedure. Consequently, comparatively few people held passports. During World War I, European governments introduced border passport requirements for security reasons, and to control the emigration of people with useful skills. These controls remained in place after
22098-467: The level of demand causing the website selling them to crash. They went on general sale on 2 January 2019, which again saw high demand. Like the 16–25 Railcard, the 26–30 Railcard costs £30, confers a 33.4% discount, and can't be used for season tickets. It is the first digital-only railcard, stored on a smartphone app, with no paper version available. This railcard costs £30.00, and is available to anybody aged 60 or over. Applications must be supported by
22272-474: The logo with the name in a circle was also used on locomotives. The zeal for modernisation in the Beeching era drove the next rebranding exercise, and BR management wished to divest the organisation of anachronistic, heraldic motifs and develop a corporate identity to rival that of London Transport . BR's design panel set up a working party led by Milner Gray of the Design Research Unit . They drew up
22446-510: The medieval Islamic Caliphate , a form of passport was the bara'a , a receipt for taxes paid. Only people who paid their zakah (for Muslims ) or jizya (for dhimmis ) taxes were permitted to travel to different regions of the Caliphate; thus, the bara'a receipt was a "basic passport". In the 12th century , the Republic of Genoa issued a document called Bulletta , which was issued to
22620-401: The mid-nineteenth century led to large increases in the volume of international travel and a consequent unique dilution of the passport system for approximately thirty years prior to World War I . The speed of trains, as well as the number of passengers that crossed multiple borders, made enforcement of passport laws difficult. The general reaction was the relaxation of passport requirements. In
22794-508: The minimum fare changed to £12 regardless of whether it was a single or a return ticket bought. During July and August the minimum fare rule does not apply. Also known as the " Millennial Railcard", the 26–30 Railcard was announced in Philip Hammond 's November 2017 United Kingdom budget speech. As an initial trial, the first 10,000 went on sale in March 2018 and sold out on the first day,
22968-402: The nation from Aberdeen and Inverness in the north to Poole and Penzance in the south. In 1979, the incoming Conservative Government led by Margaret Thatcher was viewed as anti-railway, and did not want to commit public money to the railways. However, British Rail was allowed to spend its own money with government approval. This led to a number of electrification projects being given
23142-647: The nationalisation of the network as part of a policy of nationalising public services by Clement Attlee 's Labour Government. British Railways came into existence as the business name of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission (BTC) on 1 January 1948 when it took over the assets of the Big Four. There were also joint railways between the Big Four and a few light railways to consider (see list of constituents of British Railways ). Excluded from nationalisation were industrial lines like
23316-462: The nationals of the Republic who were traveling to the ports of the emporiums and the ports of the Genoese colonies overseas, as well as to foreigners who entered them. King Henry V of England is credited with having invented what some consider the first British passport in the modern sense, as a means of helping his subjects prove who they were in foreign lands. The earliest reference to these documents
23490-640: The other categories of nationality do not grant bearers right of abode in the United Kingdom itself. British National (Overseas) passports are issued to individuals connected to Hong Kong prior to its return to China. British Overseas Citizen passports are primarily issued to individuals who did not acquire the citizenship of the colony they were connected to when it obtained independence (or their stateless descendants). British Overseas Citizen passports are also issued to certain categories of Malaysian nationals in Penang and Malacca, and individuals connected to Cyprus as
23664-407: The passport booklet design calls for an embedded contactless chip that is able to hold digital signature data to ensure the integrity of the passport and the biometric data. Historically, legal authority to issue passports is founded on the exercise of each country's executive discretion. Certain legal tenets follow, namely: first, passports are issued in the name of the state; second, no person has
23838-408: The passport's term of validity and [the] digital certificate of the chip". Ordinary biometric passports were introduced by the Ministry of Public Security on 15 May 2012. As of January 2015, all new passports issued by China are biometric e-passports, and non-biometric passports are no longer issued. In 2012, over 38 million Chinese citizens held ordinary passports, comprising only 2.86 percent of
24012-579: The post of chairing the BTC while it lasted and then became the first Chairman of the British Railways Board. A major traffic census in April 1961, which lasted one week, was used in the compilation of a report on the future of the network. This report – The Reshaping of British Railways – was published by the BRB in March 1963. The proposals, which became known as the Beeching cuts , were dramatic. A third of all passenger services and more than 4,000 of
24186-480: The public. The reaction was so strong that Margaret Thatcher , Prime Minister at that time, stated that decisions on the report would not immediately be taken. The Serpell report was quietly shelved, although the British Government was periodically accused by its opponents of implementing the report via stealth for some years thereafter. The 1980s and 1990s saw the closure of some railways which had survived
24360-535: The railcard. This card costs £12.00. This railcard, covering the counties of Devon and Cornwall , was introduced on 10 September 2006 to replace two Railcards which covered the counties separately: the Devon Railcard and the Cornish Railcard . It gives discounts for the holder (who must be aged 16 or over) and one accompanying adult of 34% on Cheap Day and Saver Singles and Returns for journeys wholly within
24534-440: The regular armed forces, reservists , and in most cases the partners and dependent children of eligible members. Discounts for the railcard holder are generally 34% (subject to minimum fares), with Supersaver, Saver and Advance/SuperAdvance tickets discounted by 26%. Up to four accompanied children may travel at a 60% discount on the standard child fare, with a £1.00 minimum fare. HM Forces Railcards cost £19 and are distributed at
24708-453: The return of road haulage to the private sector; however, BR retained its own (smaller) in-house road haulage service. The report, latterly known as the "Modernisation Plan", was published in January 1955. It was intended to bring the railway system into the 20th century. A government White Paper produced in 1956 stated that modernisation would help eliminate BR's financial deficit by 1962, but
24882-592: The right to settle in Taiwan. About 60,000 NWOHRs currently hold Taiwanese passports with this status. The United Kingdom issues several similar but distinct passports which correspond to the country's several categories of nationality. Full British citizens are issued a standard British passport . British citizens resident in the Crown Dependencies may hold variants of the British passport which confirm their Isle of Man , Jersey , or Guernsey identity. Many of
25056-563: The risk of permanent exile. In 1791, Louis XVI masqueraded as a valet during his Flight to Varennes as passports for the nobility typically included a number of persons listed by their function but without further description. A Pass-Card Treaty of October 18, 1850 among German states standardized information including issuing state, name, status, residence, and description of bearer. Tramping journeymen and jobseekers of all kinds were not to receive pass-cards. A rapid expansion of railway infrastructure and wealth in Europe beginning in
25230-432: The rolling stock it had inherited from its predecessor railway companies. Initially, an express blue (followed by GWR -style Brunswick green in 1952) was used on passenger locomotives, and LNWR -style lined black for mixed-traffic locomotives, but later green was more widely adopted. Development of a corporate identity for the organisation was hampered by the competing ambitions of the British Transport Commission and
25404-399: The route. The discount is not available until the 08.44 train from Worcester and the 08.48 train from Oxford on weekdays, but there are no weekend restrictions. This was introduced in 1995, and after a trial period until 31 August 1995 when the price was set at £5.00, the cost settled at £10.00 per year for a number of years. There was a subsequent increase to £12.00 per year, but during 2007
25578-624: The routes collectively known as the West Wales Line : the Fishguard Harbour, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock branch lines, and the common section from Whitland via Carmarthen through to Swansea . Standard Day Returns now receive the discount, although tickets bought with the Railcard cannot be used on the section of the Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Llanelli . The Railcards can be bought at Haverfordwest and Carmarthen stations. On
25752-483: The same as child rate tickets. However, the 16-17 saver cannot be used on journeys involving ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper as Scotland has its own equivalent, the Young Scots Card. Unlike the 16-25 Railcard, the 16-17 Saver can be used to purchase season tickets but cannot be used to purchase first class tickets, and has no minimum fare. Only people aged 16 and 17 can use the railcard; 16-17 Savers purchased less than
25926-466: The south. In 1988, the line to Aberdare was reopened. A British Rail advertisement ("Britain's Railway", directed by Hugh Hudson ) featured some of the best-known railway structures in Britain, including the Forth Rail Bridge , Royal Albert Bridge , Glenfinnan Viaduct and London Paddington station . London Liverpool Street station was rebuilt, opened by Queen Elizabeth II , and a new station
26100-567: The territory that issued their passport. Most countries distinguish between BOTC and other classes of British nationality for border control purposes. For instance, only Bermudian passport holders with an endorsement stating that they possess right of abode or belonger status in Bermuda are entitled to enter America without an electronic travel authorisation. Border control policies in many jurisdictions distinguish between holders of passports with and without right of abode, including NWOHRs and holders of
26274-442: The total population at the time. In 2014, China issued 16 million passports, ranking first in the world, surpassing the United States (14 million) and India (10 million). The number of ordinary passports in circulation rose to 120 million by October 2016, which was approximately 8.7 percent of the population. As of April 2017 to date, China had issued over 100 million biometric ordinary passports. The three constituent countries of
26448-457: The trunk routes of the West Coast Main Line , East Coast Main Line , Great Western Main Line , Great Eastern Main Line and Midland Main Line , and other lines. Policing on (and within) the network was carried out British Transport Police (BTP). In 1947 the Transport Act created the British Transport Commission (BTC), which unified the railway system. On 1 January 1949, the British Transport Commission Police (BTCP) were created, formed from
26622-415: The two counties, and 34% on the countywide Devon Day Ranger and Cornwall Day Ranger tickets, and line-specific Rangers for the following branch lines : Atlantic Coast Line , Looe Valley Line , Maritime Line , Tamar Valley Line and Tarka Line . The only exception is the St Ives Bay Line Day Ranger, which is discounted by 50% when the Railcard is used. Up to four children can accompany the adult(s) for
26796-423: The unsuccessful Advanced Passenger Train (APT). Gradually, passengers replaced freight as the main source of business. From 1982, under sectorisation , the regions were gradually replaced by "business sectors", which were originally responsible for marketing and other commercial matters when they were first created but had taken over entirely by 1990. During the 1980s and 1990s, the British Government directed
26970-422: The use of each Railcard is calculated by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), and voting rights and costs payable are attributed accordingly. Seven percent of fare revenue is derived from travel using one of the Railcard schemes. This amounts to approximately £400 million, of which £60M is estimated by the RDG to be attributable entirely to the existence of the Railcards – if they were not available, journeys to
27144-472: The various British passports the do not confer right of abode upon the bearer. Certain jurisdictions may additionally distinguish between holders of such British passports with and without indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. NWOHRs do not, for instance, have access to the Visa Waiver Program , or to visa free access to the Schengen Area or Japan. Other countries, such as India which allows all Chinese nationals to apply for eVisas , do not make such
27318-425: The war, becoming a standard, though controversial, procedure. British tourists of the 1920s complained, especially about attached photographs and physical descriptions, which they considered led to a "nasty dehumanisation". The British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act was passed in 1914, clearly defining the notions of citizenship and creating a booklet form of the passport. In 1920, the League of Nations held
27492-427: The £1.00 minimum fare), is also available on the Tees Day Ranger ticket, which offers unlimited journeys on the route in one day; and on return tickets on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway , a preserved railway running from Grosmont to Pickering . Cardholders must be aged 16 or over, and no co-holders can be named, but up to four accompanied children can travel at a 60% discount on the standard Child fare (subject to
27666-425: Was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission , it became an independent statutory corporation in January 1963, when it was formally renamed the British Railways Board . British Railways was formed on 1 January 1948 as a result of the Transport Act 1947 , which nationalised
27840-413: Was a unique arrangement as it involved a passport issued by one state conferring right of abode (or, more precisely right to land ) in and consular protection from another state. Since that date, the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have prohibited the use of BN(O) passports as travel documents or proof of identity and it; much like British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person, or ROC NWOHR passports;
28014-487: Was an essential aspect of the transition from feudalism to capitalism . Communal obligations to provide poor relief were an important source of the desire for controls on movement. One of the earliest known references to paperwork that served an analogous role to a passport is found in the Hebrew Bible . Nehemiah 2:7–9, dating from approximately 450 BC, states that Nehemiah , an official serving King Artaxerxes I of Persia , asked permission to travel to Judea ;
28188-406: Was constructed at Stansted Airport in 1991. The following year, the Maesteg line was reopened. In 1988, the Windsor Link Line, Manchester was constructed and has proven to be an important piece of infrastructure. Before the introduction of APTIS (Accountancy and Passenger Ticket Issuing System), British Rail used the Edmondson railway ticket , first introduced in the 1840s and phased out in
28362-426: Was created. It gives a 34% discount on many (but again, not all) types of ticket within the Network SouthEast area. Similar to the Family Railcard, but without the requirement for a child to be travelling to obtain the discount, groups of up to four adults and four children may travel together and gain the following discounts: There have been various changes to the Network Railcard's conditions since 1986, and as with
28536-454: Was found to be a price of £30.00 and a 50% discount on off-peak fares; passenger mileage would rise by an estimated 25% and profits would increase by £70M. All Railfuture reports, including the full study , are available here . At all times, up to two children under the age of five may travel free of charge with an accompanying adult, and do not require a ticket (but see the Family Railcard article for one exception to this). Children between
28710-567: Was initially run on a trial basis, but is now finished since the introduction of the UK Government's Work Programme. It was governed by an agreement between ATOC and Jobcentre Plus, which was last renewed in 2002. By July 2000, 54,000 New Deal Photocards had been issued. There is a separate scheme in Scotland. Photocards are issued for periods of up to six months, but discounts are only available on seven-day season tickets for journeys wholly within Scotland. JobCentres themselves also sell certain Standard Day Return tickets for Scottish journeys, again at
28884-418: Was introduced in the 1980s. Certain BR operations such as Inter-City , Network SouthEast , Regional Railways or Rail Express Systems began to adopt their own identities, introducing logos and colour schemes which were essentially variants of the British Rail brand. Eventually, as sectorisation developed into a prelude to privatisation, the unified British Rail brand disappeared, with the notable exception of
29058-470: Was no longer a discount for accompanying children. The discount is now 33.4%. Again, not all ticket types qualify for a discount. There are no time restrictions except in for journeys wholly within the Network Railcard area, where it cannot be used before 09:30. Certain county councils or other local authorities subsidise Senior Railcards for their residents. This railcard costs £30.00, and is available to anybody aged 16 or over. A second adult can be named as
29232-483: Was occasionally seen on adult tickets in 1990. A traveller purchasing an annual Travelcard loaded on an Oyster card is issued a "Gold Record Card" when the ticket is sold (or by post for tickets issued online or by telesales). The Gold Record Card can be used to access Gold Card discounts in the same way as a Gold Card annual season ticket issued by train operating companies. The Department for Work and Pensions , through its executive agency Jobcentre Plus (formerly
29406-429: Was one of the earliest examples of a local railcard, having been introduced on 4 November 1983. It originally cost £6.00 for adults, and there was a child version priced at £3.00. All journeys wholly within Cornwall (First and Second Class) were charged at half price, as were returns to Plymouth , just across the border into Devon. Some other offers for travel outside Cornwall were included until May 1984, at which point
29580-399: Was required; the Child version was withdrawn; Cheap Day Return discounts had been cut to 34%; the Tamar Valley Line ( Plymouth – Gunnislake ) was included in its entirety, although parts of it lie within Devon; and the design of the APTIS card (British Rail form number BR 4599/77) had changed significantly, now incorporating a stylised map of the Cornish peninsula and the railway lines serving
29754-422: Was such a large operation, running not just railways but also ferries, steamships and hotels, it has been considered difficult to analyse the effects of nationalisation. Prices rose quickly in this period, rising 108% in real terms from 1979 to 1994, as prices rose by 262% but RPI only increased by 154% in the same time. Following nationalisation in 1948, British Railways began to adapt the corporate liveries on
29928-436: Was the first real subdivision of BR since its inception in 1949, and likely saved many lines earmarked for closure, notably the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway , which now forms part of the Merseyrail network. Upon sectorisation in 1982, three passenger sectors were created: InterCity , operating principal express services; London & South East (renamed Network SouthEast in 1986) operating commuter services in
30102-451: Was transferred to the sectors. The Anglia Region was created in late 1987, its first General Manager being John Edmonds, who began his appointment on 19 October 1987. Full separation from the Eastern Region – apart from engineering design needs – occurred on 29 April 1988. It handled the services from Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street , its western boundary being Hertford East , Meldreth and Whittlesea . The former BR network, with
30276-484: Was universally adopted and standardized in 1920. The passport takes the form of a booklet bearing the official name and emblem of the issuing government and containing the biographical information of the individual, including their full name, photograph, place and date of birth, and signature. A passport does not create any rights in the country being visited nor impose any obligation on the issuing country; rather, it provides certification to foreign government officials of
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