(The following story by Ed Perkins appeared at NorthJersey.com on July 15.)
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Even though many senior travel discounts are either shrinking or disappearing, you can still find some on rail travel. Here’s a brief rundown.
North America
Amtrak (Amtrak.com) offers a 10 percent discount to senior travelers 62 or older. The discount is limited to coach class, however, and does not apply to weekday Acela Express or Metroliner services on the Northeast Corridor or to the Auto Train. The discount does apply to the several Amtrak rail passes. All in all, it’s a pretty puny program, but given that other discounts are few and far between, it’s better than paying full price.
ViaRail Canada (viarail.ca) is more generous. It matches Amtrak’s 10 percent discount for seniors age 60 or older, but its main program is a twofer deal. Buy one ticket at the regular senior fare, and get a second companion ticket in coach class at no extra cost. For travel in premium class, including sleeper service on long-haul trains, buy one premium ticket at the senior price and get 75 percent off of a companion ticket. The deal is only mildly restricted: a five-day advance purchase requirement and some seat limitations. All in all, it’s a great deal for lots of seniors who want to explore Canada by rail.
Europe
Rail deals in Europe are a mixed bag. The Eurail family of multicountry passes (eurail.com) does not offer any senior versions, but some regional and single-country passes — and rail cards — are attractive for travelers age 60 or older.
Overall, I’d rank France in the top spot for senior deals:
The senior version of the French rail pass starts at $243 for unlimited first-class travel on any three days out of a 30-day period, with up to six additional travel days at $35 per day. That’s about 10 percent off the regular first-class pass. It’s also only about 10 percent above the any-age pass in second class. First class on the TGV is really an outstanding service, and I’d go for the senior option for that small a surcharge. If only we could move up to first class on the airlines for just 10 percent extra.
If you plan lots of shorter trips, you might be better off buying a “Carte Senior.” It provides 25 percent discounts on all French rail tickets and 50 percent off for many somewhat restricted and limited tickets. It costs 53 euros (about $72.20 at current exchange rates) per year, and you can buy it online at sncf.com, which has an English language version, or at any main French rail station after you arrive.
British rail prices are generally high (but so are the prices of everything else in Britain):
Almost all of Britain’s various BritRail passes (britrail.com) offer senior versions, but they are limited to first class. Senior versions of each pass cost about 15 percent less than the corresponding any-age first class passes but about 30 percent more than corresponding second-class passes. I suspect that most travelers would stick with the any-age second-class option.
A better choice for many seniors is a “Senior Railcard” (senior-railcard.co.uk) that provides 33 percent discounts on most rail tickets in any class. It costs 20 pounds (about $40.30 at current exchange rates) and is valid for a year; buy it at most United Kingdom rail stations after you arrive (including stations at Gatwick, Luton, Manchester and Stansted airports, but not Heathrow).
The Eurostar Chunnel train linking Britain with France and Belgium offers senior fares. They are usually the same price as the least-expensive any-age tickets but with fewer restrictions. Information is available at eurail.com.
Germany offers a 50 percent discount rail card similar to the French card. Even though seniors age 60 or older can buy it for half price, at 103 euros ($140.28), it’s still pretty expensive. These and other country-specific passes are available at raileurope.com.
The Balkan, Norwegian and Scanrail passes all offer senior options. Because they are in the same classes as corresponding any-age passes, there’s no reason not to buy the senior version.
Some other countries offer senior discounts on ordinary point-to-point rail tickets. And, as I’ve noted, lots of local transit systems throughout the world offer senior discounts. Check when you arrive.