SNP MEP Alyn Smith has warned Scots may be priced out of travelling around Europe after the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced Britain will be leaving the Interrail and Eurail schemes.
Eurail Group, which manages the schemes, ended the membership of Britain's rail firms after they chose to stop selling Eurail passes.
RDG, which brings together the companies that operate across Britain's railways, denied the move was related to the UK's membership of the European Union.
Britain will no longer participate in the scheme, which provides unlimited borderless train travel across one, several or all 31 participating countries.
Eurail passes, launched in 1959, are available to non-European residents while Interrail passes, launched in 1972, are available to European residents.
The move means travellers from outside of Britain will not be able to travel around the country using the passes, but British residents will still be able to buy passes to travel elsewhere.
READ MORE: Britain to pull out of Interrail scheme at the end of the year
While RDG director of nations and regions Robert Nisbet said "British people will feel no difference," Smith warned the move could make travel to Europe more expensive in the future.
Smith said: “The fact is, tens of thousands of organisations in thousands of fields are, right now, making decisions about what sort of links they want or can afford with the rest of our continent, and because the Tories and their tormentors have delivered nothing but uncertainty many are deciding it is not worth the candle.
"This is what Brexit will be like - remember when Dundee was informed it could not bid for the Capital of Culture - so people who have not even thought of going Interrailing will find out in years to come that it is far more expensive if you’re from the UK.
"This won’t impact much on rich folks but the rest of us will see life and our horizons just get a bit smaller and more difficult. We need to turn Brexit around and celebrate the links we have and the advantages we get from them. Scotland has already voted to remain and it is all the more unfair that our rights are being taken away against our will.”
Others are concerned that the decision to stop the Interrail across Britain on all services but the Eurostar to London could decrease tourism around the UK.
Train travel writer Mark Smith, also known as The Man in Seat Sixty-One, hit out at the move on Twitter, writing: "Inbound passholders from other countries will be able to use Eurostar to reach London, but will be discouraged from going anywhere north or west of London."
2. Inbound passholders from other countries will be able to use Eurostar to reach London, but will be discouraged from going anywhere north or west of London.
— The Man in Seat 61 (@seatsixtyone) August 7, 2019
Meanwhile Nisbet defended the move. He said: “The rail industry boosts British tourism and working together, rail companies are offering the best option for tourists with BritRail, which is recommended by Visit Britain, offers two for one deals on 200 attractions across the country and includes the convenience of mobile tickets.
“Although the Eurail Group has ended our decades-long membership of Interrail since we stopped trialling Eurail passes, British people will feel no difference – they can still buy an Interrail pass, get the Eurostar and travel by train across Europe.”
Interrail update: The Eurail group has decided to end our membership from 1 January 2020, despite us wanting to remain part of the group. This is not linked to our membership of the EU. pic.twitter.com/5t5xA1tS33
— Rail Delivery Group (@RailDeliveryGrp) August 7, 2019
All Interrail and Eurail Passes purchased before December 31 2019 are still valid for travelling on the RDG network until the end of their validity period.
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