EXCLUSIVE: Railway networks pool free travel for employees

London Overground has negotiated a reciprocal deal with Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry Trains and Arriva Trains Wales to allow staff to travel for free on each other’s networks.

London Overground Rail Operations’ parent company, Deutsche Bahn, is an owner of the other organisations. The travel perk, launched on 1 January, will allow London Overground’s 1,200 employees, as well as partners and dependants under 16, to benefit from the free travel perk, in particular during the 2012 London Olympics.

In turn, 4,200 rail staff at Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry Trains and Arriva Trains Wales, plus partners and dependants under 16, will receive free travel on all London Overground services.

Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground Rail Operations, said: “I have been leading, with my HR colleagues in Arriva Trains UK, to bring about a reciprocal arrangement so our employees can have free leisure travel on their services. In effect, we have been able to open up a huge part of the UK network to our employees beyond London.”

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