'Golden tickets' will give 12 people free rail travel

Train operators are giving away 12 “golden tickets” to inspire workers to take a day off to visit people and places they have missed during the pandemic.

Lucky winners will be entitled to free rail travel across Britain for a year.

To enter the Willy Wonka-style competition, passengers need to visit the National Rail website by midnight on October 7 and explain why they deserve the prize.

A survey of 2781 UK adults commissioned by industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) indicated that 28% of people have not taken any annual leave this year.

Nearly one in four (24%) of those respondents said they are waiting for coronavirus restrictions to be lifted before they book time off.

The poll also suggested that 47% of working adults have worked longer than their normal hours during the pandemic.

Two-fifths of that group said they are experiencing feelings of burn-out.

The RDG believes its research demonstrates the importance of taking time off, even just a single day to travel by train to visit a relative or take a minibreak.

RDG regional director Robert Nisbet said: “As people get back on trains to reconnect with loved ones, places and things they enjoy the most, rail companies are ready to welcome them on board and get the economy moving again.

“We are helping people travel and book with confidence by providing better journey information, boosting cleaning and giving people the option to change a booked journey fee-free should their circumstances change.”