As a long time memory there was an annual free rail trip offered to Pensioners in South Australia.

Does this offer still apply?

It used to prop up pax numbers on our country rail system. And with only one country rail service in SA now offering a sit up service I am wondering if it is still available.

It was only a return trip to the edge of the state line, travel beyond that had to be purchased. I am pretty sure it’s cancelled, or at least I hope it is.

This was dropped three years ago.

In addition to only applying to a journey within the state, there were only a handful of seats allocated to this offer per train and therefore only a small proportion of the applicants got to travel for free.

I agree with Aaron that it was quite a wasteful handout. If it were a serious attempt at promoting rail transport the offer would have been for 18-25 year olds and with group bookings prioritised.

I see no reason for a subsidy to be paid to a corporate body to remain in business, then on top of that pay a subsidy to a group of people generally using it as a tourist excercise.

Better to use such an additional subsidy for pensioners living beyond the PT network to access a trip to Adelaide (multiple if necessary) for medical needs, hopefully they could have got the subsidy for such journeys up to 100% or as near as possible.

I see no reason for a subsidy to be paid to a corporate body to remain in business, then on top of that pay a subsidy to a group of people generally using it as a tourist excercise.

Better to use such an additional subsidy for pensioners living beyond the PT network to access a trip to Adelaide (multiple if necessary) for medical needs, hopefully they could have got the subsidy for such journeys up to 100% or as near as possible.

A free return Stateliner ticket to any SA destination would be much more practical/use-able.

Nah, once again concessions should be on need, not usability or practicality. No worries providing transport for something like a medical appointment for a country dwellers needing to attend the big smoke, but a pensioner nanna from Unleg Park decides it might be fun to have the State Government pay her way to Port Lincoln for a week away? - Nup.

As a long time memory there was an annual free rail trip offered to Pensioners in South Australia.

Does this offer still apply?

It used to prop up pax numbers on our country rail system. And with only one country rail service in SA now offering a sit up service I am wondering if it is still available.

I thought that this was a hangover from the sell-off to Commonwealth Railways (and then AN) of the South Australian Railways back in 1975 or so.

Pretty sure that SAR used to offer a single free return ticket for retirees etc for a trip once per year and that this was carried forward as part of the conditions of sale.  Memory could be a bit vague on that one - anyone else know the exact details of it?

Removal of this from 1 July 2016 corresponded with the removal of situp services on The Ghan and The Indian Pacific.

My son, who is disabled and on a Commonwealth Government Health Care Card, availed himself of this discount once to get a discounted fare on The Overland to travel to Melbourne for specialist treatment.

Hello all, i have a story to tell.

I remember my mother, as a part of her single parent pension, used to get an annual rail voucher - for one return trip from Adelaide to either port Augusta, broken hill, or bordertown - when using GSR red seat service.
When i was about 4 years old, in the year 2003, i remember she used her rail pass and took me on the Ghan from Adelaide to Port Augusta and return a few days later, for a short holiday.
I, being a small boy who had been no further than grange on the local train, marveled at the really long sleek ghan train, and how comfy the big plush seats were to sit in.
I remember on they way up when they announced the stop for Coonamia - aboriginal word for port pirie - and i was fascinated by the city lights over in the distance when we stopped at this remote siding.
When it was time to return, i vividly recall standing on the looooooong platform at port augusta, at 2 oclock in the morning, and watching the ghan glide into the platform as the train attendants tossed out bags of rubbish.

Thanks to rail vouchers, i now have a love for long distance train travel that has led to mum and myself doing the ghan to alice springs, the indian pacific to sydney, the overland to melbourne, and amtrak travel through 35 US states on world famous trains.

Hello all, i have a story to tell.

I remember my mother, as a part of her single parent pension, used to get an annual rail voucher - for one return trip from Adelaide to either port Augusta, broken hill, or bordertown - when using GSR red seat service.
When i was about 4 years old, in the year 2003, i remember she used her rail pass and took me on the Ghan from Adelaide to Port Augusta and return a few days later, for a short holiday.
I, being a small boy who had been no further than grange on the local train, marveled at the really long sleek ghan train, and how comfy the big plush seats were to sit in.
I remember on they way up when they announced the stop for Coonamia - aboriginal word for port pirie - and i was fascinated by the city lights over in the distance when we stopped at this remote siding.
When it was time to return, i vividly recall standing on the looooooong platform at port augusta, at 2 oclock in the morning, and watching the ghan glide into the platform as the train attendants tossed out bags of rubbish.

Thanks to rail vouchers, i now have a love for long distance train travel that has led to mum and myself doing the ghan to alice springs, the indian pacific to sydney, the overland to melbourne, and amtrak travel through 35 US states on world famous trains.

Well you wont be able to do it any more with the vouchers Heath as they no longer are given out. I am a pensioner and in all the time I had my pension never used them. But others have. My mother and her friend years back both travelled to and from Melbourne on the Overland sitting up and used the vouchers, but now you have to pay the full concession fare from Adelaide to Melbourne and return. Free trips are only now available on Adelaide Metro if you have a seniors card and then only at certain times and days.

Well i do understand that the government should not be subsidizing pensioners train holidays however there should be some sort of transport voucher available for pensioners who need to travel by rail (or bus) to access healthcare or education services. Think a country student on youth allowance who needs to come down to the big smoke for university classes or a rural old lady on the age pension who needs to come down to the big smoke for a specialist appointment.

Both of those cases are provided for by current federal and state government programs.

The Relocation Scholarship is a payment made to country students who have to move (or more rarely, city students who have to move to study in the country) and is administered by the federal Department of Human Services. This is a payment, not a voucher, which allows the student to decide how to use it - they might spend some on travel costs, some on accomodation etc.

The Patient Assistance Transport Scheme run by SA Health gives extra subsidies for people living more than 100km from the nearest provider of the treatment service they require.