🚨 Parliament Petition Now Live – Please Sign Both
👉 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/729126

I'm an NHS Cardiac Intensive Care nurse, and like many of my colleagues, I travel long distances to work. Some of us come from as far as Birmingham, Cambridge, Southampton — even Glasgow — because we go where we’re most needed.

We provide 24/7 care for patients and families, often in high-pressure environments, and we do it with compassion, skill, and dedication.

And yet, while students, veterans, and senior citizens all receive support with train fares, NHS workers receive none — despite playing a vital role in national health and emergency care.

This petition is calling for the creation of a National NHS Railcard, offering at least 33% off train fares for NHS staff across the UK — in line with other national railcards already available.

 🚆 Why now?
In just one year, train fares have increased nearly 17%, while NHS salaries remain largely frozen. A single off-peak return from Woking to London, for example, has risen from £13 to £15.20 in just a few months.

This is happening while staff are under constant financial pressure from:

- Skyrocketing rent and living costs
- Frozen pay scales
- Long-distance commuting due to unaffordable housing near hospitals
- Some of us are now paying more to get to work than we’re earning per hour.

 👮‍♀️ Meanwhile, police officers travel for free in London.

In other countries, support is already in place:

🇫🇷 France reimburses public sector commuting costs up to 50%
🇩🇪 Germany introduced a nationwide €49/month rail pass to reduce pressure on workers
 
💙 Why this matters:
This isn’t just about saving money — it’s about supporting the people who hold the NHS together.

An NHS Railcard would:

- Ease the financial burden on frontline workers
- Encourage greener travel
- Support staff retention by making long commutes more affordable
- Offer a simple, meaningful way to recognise NHS contributions
I’ve seen firsthand how commuting costs are driving dedicated colleagues out of the profession. It’s unsustainable — and unfair.

I’m running this campaign personally, after struggling with the cost of my own commute and hearing the same from countless colleagues. I’ve also launched a second campaign to change day train tickets to last 24 hours, so night shift workers aren’t penalised with two fares for one shift. You can find that petition here:
👉 https://chng.it/tsB6kGLzvv

 💙 Please sign and share — and if you haven’t already, support the official Parliament petition as well to double the impact:

👉 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/729126