If you're over the female State Pension age (regardless of your gender) you can apply for a free senior railcard OR free older person's bus pass.

If you would like both, you can apply for an older person’s bus pass from us and apply to National Rail for a senior railcard; you will have to pay for the railcard, it costs £30.

Railcards are issued free of charge and are valid for 1 year. When we've received your completed application and supporting information, we will provide you with a code which can be used on the National Rail website and you won’t have to pay £30 for the senior railcard.

If you’re over 60 but not yet at pension age, we can’t give you a code – if you want a senior railcard you’ll need to pay for it. You're not yet entitled to an older person’s bus pass.

What a senior railcard gives you

A senior railcard gives you 1/3 off a wide range of train fares.  It doesn’t give you free rail travel.  Before you book, check that you can use the railcard as sometimes there are restrictions on which trains, routes and tickets you can get a discount for.

Apply for a code for a free senior railcard

The council can give you a code if:

• live in Warrington
• are over the female State Pension age

Download the application form to apply for a code for a free senior railcard.

Along with your application form, you also need to provide:

• Proof of address - such as your driving licence, benefit award/pension letter, or we can check our council tax records. We don't accept utility bills, bank statements or tenancy agreements.
• Proof of identity - such as your birth certificate, passport or driving licence.

You’ll need to have a photo of each of these, or have them scanned onto your computer, phone or tablet, so that you attach them to your email. If you can’t email them, call into Contact Warrington and we can scan your application and documents for you.

When we’ve given you your code, apply for a senior railcard on the National Rail website and enter the code when it asks you.  

You'll need an email address to enable you to do this, if you don’t have an email address, please call 0345 3000 250 and the National Rail Railcard customer service team will help you complete your application.

Renew your railcard

If you would like to reapply for a new railcard, you'll need to complete a new application form and provide your supporting information again. This will enable us to issue a new code. Please don't apply more than one month in advance of your railcard expiry date.

If you don't want to renew your railcard, you can apply for a bus pass instead. We can't issue a bus pass if you have a valid railcard.

Lost or stolen railcards

If your railcard is lost or stolen, report it to National Rail.  You can find information on their website about how to arrange a replacement.