Pensioners
CountryLink offers pensioners economical travel over long and short distances for special events or everyday activities.
NSW Pensioner Travel Vouchers
The Pensioner Travel Vouchers provide NSW pensioners with a great way to catch up with friends and family or explore NSW and beyond.
If you have the right type of concession card you are entitled to four one-way vouchers each calendar year. Travelling with one of these vouchers means you only pay $10 or 15% of the peak season adult fare for the NSW part of your journey, whichever is higher. From 1 July 2009, use of the vouchers for economy class travel within NSW will be free.
Who can use them?
If you hold one of the following concession cards, you are entitled to four Pensioner Travel Vouchers each year:
- NSW or ACT pensioner concession card
- NSW war widow/er transport concession card.
You need to provide your concession card number when booking and collecting your ticket. Please remember to take the same concession card with you when you travel as our onboard staff will need to check it.
You can also use your Pensioner Travel Voucher to catch a CityRail train to get to or from your CountryLink service at no extra charge, providing you are travelling on the date shown on your CountryLink ticket.
Travel to interstate destinations
If you plan to travel outside NSW with CountryLink, you will need to pay an additional 50% of the full adult fare for the interstate part of your journey.
First class and sleeping berths
Customers wishing to use a Pensioner Travel Voucher for first class seats within NSW will need to pay a surcharge of $10, or 15% of the peak season adult fare, whichever is higher. A surcharge applies for sleeping berths in addition to the first class fare. For further information on first class and sleeping berths visit our onboard facilities page.
After you've used your vouchers
CountryLink keeps track of how many vouchers you've used, but that doesn't mean you start paying full fare when you've used all four. Just show your pensioner concession card or government issued Seniors Card and you are entitled to a 50% concession on the full adult fare.
If you don't remember how many vouchers you've used, call our friendly staff on 13 22 32 and they will check for you.
Country Pensioner Excursion tickets
Country Pensioner Excursion tickets are designed to provide pensioners with an economical way to travel in regional and rural NSW and the ACT. They can't be used for travel to Victoria or Queensland destinations. At $2.50 for a one way, economy class trip, they are intended to help you get to neighbouring towns in order to visit friends and family, go shopping or keep medical, business or other appointments. You must make a booking in advance to ensure you have a seat.
You can, however, make several stops along the way and continue to travel on the same ticket, providing you don’t stop over for more than 12 hours and that your journey is completed on the same date shown on your ticket. Of course, if the train or coach you are travelling on is scheduled to arrive at your destination on the day after the date on your ticket, you can still travel on the same ticket.
As an added bonus, your Country Pensioner Excursion ticket will allow you to return to your place of origin provided you begin your return journey within 12 hours of arriving at your destination.
Country Pensioner Excursion tickets can't be booked, paid for or used:
- north or east of Moss Vale on Southern Region services
- east of Lithgow on Western Region services
- south of Muswellbrook on North Western Region services
- south of Dungog on North Coast Region train services, and
- south of Karuah and Booral on North Coast Region coach services.
This means these tickets can't be used to travel from the country to, or travel through, urban areas such as Sydney, Wollongong or Newcastle or to the Blue Mountains. If you wish to travel into the areas listed above you will need to buy a half-fare pensioner concession ticket or use a Pensioner Travel Voucher.
Who can use them?
If you hold one of the following concession cards, you are entitled to purchase Country Pensioner Excursion tickets:
- NSW, Victorian or ACT pensioner concession card
- NSW, Victorian or ACT war widow/er transport concession card
- Any Australian State or Territory issued Seniors Card, or
- Transport concession fare authority for former RailCorp and State Transit Authority employees.
You need to provide your concession card number when booking and collecting your ticket.
Please remember to take the same concession card with you when you travel as our onboard staff will need to check it.
How to book, pay for and collect your ticket
There are several ways in which to book and pay for travel. Visit Reservations and tickets for full information on these options.
Pensioner Travel Vouchers
If you wish to book online using Pensioner Travel Vouchers you will need to register for online booking beforehand by taking your concession card to a CountryLink travel centre, booking office or authorised travel agent and showing your card to a member of staff.
Country Pensioner Excursion
Country Pensioner Excursion tickets can't be purchased from CityRail stations or CountryLink travel centres in the Sydney, Wollongong, Hunter Valley or Blue Mountains regions. Tickets must be booked within seven days of the date you intend to travel, otherwise you will be asked to pay 50% of the full adult fare when you show your concession card.
Having somebody else collect your ticket
Your spouse, friend or relative can collect your ticket for you as long as they can show their driver's licence or pensioner concession card along with your pensioner concession card.
If the person is not your spouse, they will also need to produce a letter of authority from you which includes the following information:
- the date of travel
- your name
- address
- pension number
- the name and address of the person collecting the ticket
- both of your signatures, and
- reservation number (if applicable).
