The government has laid an amendment to the Railways Bill to give statutory protection to rail discounts for veterans and service personnel. Veterans and service personnel currently benefit from railcards providing one-third off most rail fares, but until 9 November 2026 had no legal protection for this discount.

The amendment puts the discounts on the same statutory footing as existing protections for young, elderly, and disabled passengers. The government said the move gives reassurance to the armed forces community and their families that the discounts will continue.

The statement also noted a recent expansion of free rail travel for bereaved military family members attending Remembrance events. Both measures, the government said, form part of the establishment of Great British Railways, a new body intended to place passengers at the centre of rail operations.

The body preparing to enforce Martyn's Law has published two new tools to help premises and events get ready before the law comes into force. A planning tool for standard-tier venues guides users through evacuation, lockdown and invacuation procedures. An enhanced-tier template helps document compliance and assess vulnerabilities.

More than 30 premises and events have been lined up to test inspection processes, following early pilots at a nightclub, university and heritage site. The regulator is now about to test a new digital service with users across all sectors in scope and is seeking volunteers, particularly from one-off events of all sizes, hospitals, and sites with multiple uses.

The regulator also addressed concerns about event cancellations, saying Martyn's Law does not require organisers to hire security personnel, buy new technology or employ specialist consultants. Compliance steps may be straightforward and low-cost for smaller venues. Not every public gathering will qual