PLANS to reduce railcard discounts “shouldn’t have left the station,” campaigners and unions said today.

Train operators are to take advantage of an easing of system limitations to cut the fare reductions from 34 per cent to 22.4 per cent from September 15.

Discounts for people aged 16-30 or 60 and over, families travelling with children, people with a disability and military veterans will all be affected.

An Aslef train drivers’ union spokesperson said: “We need to encourage people to travel by rail, not deter them.

“This idea, by the privateers trying to gouge a little more out of passengers before Britain’s railways are brought back into public ownership, shouldn’t have left the station.”

Bruce Williamson of lobby group Railfuture said: “Whilst this represents a very tiny increase in fares for some passengers, it’s a step in the wrong direction.

“As the slogan goes, every little helps, so why risk irritating passengers for a few pence?”

Michael Solomon Williams of pressure group Campaign for Better Transport called for the introduction of a northern network railcard to make the system “fairer” by giving passengers in the north of England “the same discount offered to many of their southern counterparts by regional railcards.”

Examples of Anytime Return fare increases for railcard holders include from £194.15 to £195.90 from Cardiff to London, and from £72.60 to £73.25 from Birmingham to Manchester.

A section on railcard discounts on the National Rail Enquiries website was updated in June to remove references to 34 per cent.

Most railcard advertising states that the cards provide savings of a third of usual fares, but some operators’ websites continue to give the 34 per cent figure, including East Midlands Railway and Heathrow Express.

A spokesperson for Railcard, the organisation which manages the discount cards on behalf of train operators, said: “The cost of a railcard hasn’t increased for over 10 years and will continue to provide customers with a third off their rail fare for just £30 a year – a cost that can be made back in just one or two journeys.”

The rail industry is striving to boost fares income, which remains lower than pre-coronavirus levels.

Office of Rail and Road figures show revenue from passengers was £10.3 billion in the year to the end of March, compared with £12.7bn in 2019-20.