Bereaved armed forces families granted free rail travel for Remembrance weekend

Free rail transport will be provided over Remembrance weekend to the bereaved relatives of armed forces personnel killed in service, under a new Ministry of Defence initiative.

Under the scheme, eligible families can select one designated next of kin to travel without charge across National Rail networks to attend commemorative events on November 7 and 8, as well as in future years.

Veterans minister Calvin Bailey stated that providing backing to relatives of those who have "given everything for their country" ought to be "a given".

Although Mr Bailey, a former RAF officer who served alongside US special operations forces in Afghanistan, declined to disclose the specific funding allocated for the initiative, he guaranteed that no eligible family members will be turned down.

Speaking at the Cenotaph in central London, he said: "The scheme’s been costed, it’s funded, and it will be continued beyond this year.

"We think this is an essential part of of commemoration. It’s something that I feel perhaps should have just been a given, and I hope it because this shouldn’t be a discussion point.

"This should have been something that we have been doing for a long time. When people give everything for their country, we should give them ensure that their families are able to feel as though they’re part of that connective tissue."

He added: "Coming here is a significant event, but coming here can come at great personal expense.

"It’s an emotionally difficult period for those people that have lost someone, but it’s a very significant thing to be at the heart of our national commemorations, and as we’ve heard from those members of bereaved families today, being here in any number helps them to ensure that connection remains.

"This is a small but very significant lifting of the barriers of cost of living and the challenges that people have either with distance or with cost to ensure that they’re part of these commemorations."

The policy expands upon the Government’s existing free travel offer for serving personnel and veterans.

Mr Bailey confirmed he has asked the Department for Transport to ensure there are no "unnecessary impediments" over the Remembrance Day weekend resulting from train delays or cancellations.

Mikki Brett, the widow of the late CPO Stuart Brett – who served in the Weapons Engineering branch of the Royal Navy and died in service in April 2023, said: "It’s fantastic news that the in-service bereaved have been recognised for the support given to their loved ones with free train fares to remembrance events this year."