For those still thinking about what to get friends and loved ones this Christmas, Isle of Man Railways are pleased to announce the availability of Residents’ Season Tickets and some new additions for the 2011 season. Residents’ Season Tickets continue to offer great value for money, they are priced the same as last year at ?50 per adult, ?25 per child and are valid for unlimited travel on all scheduled Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway and Steam Railway services for the 2011 operational season, but are not valid for additional special events put on throughout the year, such as the Manx Heritage Transport Festival and the Santa Trains. The 2011 operating season for Isle of Man Railways is: · Steam Railway Open from 12th March until 6th November 2011 · Manx Electric Railway Open from 19th March until 6th November 2011 · Snaefell Mountain Railway Open from 16th April until 2nd October 2011 Application forms can be obtained from the Isle of Man Welcome Centre and main stations. The Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal is open Monday to Saturday 8.00am-6.00pm. A passport sized photograph will be required for each applicant. A first for 2011 is the introduction of a Rail Card for residents. The Rail Card is priced at ?10 per adult and ?5 per child and entitles the holder to 50% discount on travel on any of the scheduled services on our three railways. In addition to that, the Rail Card also has a detachable section which entitles the holder to a discount of ?5 (adults) or ?2.50 (child) off one of our many special events, such as the Hop-tu-naa Ghost Trains and Snaefell Sunset Dinners. To give you an idea of how much this new Rail Card can save, a standard adult return fare on the Steam Railway from Douglas to Port Erin in 2011 will cost ?11.60, by using the Rail Card this journey would cost only ?5.80, so just two of these trips with the Rail Card will have saved ?11.60, which is already ?1.60 more than the ?10 Rail Card purchase fee. The owner will also have the added bonus of ?5 off a special event of their choice, so even those that do not use the Island’s railways very often will benefit by having a Rail Card. Hon David Cretney MHK, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure commented: “Both the Residents Season Tickets and the new Residents Rail Card would make ideal gifts for friends and loved ones this Christmas, they are great value, are thoughtful and will continue to benefit the lucky owner all throughout the 2011 season .” Other goodies that would make ideal gifts this Christmas would be the Travellers’ Companion, a great guidebook on the Island’s Steam Railway, and the new 2011 Calendar, featuring many beautiful photographs of the Island’s railways and countryside; it also comes with the opportunity for budding photographers to win a ride on the footplate on one of our steam engines! Both the Travellers’ Companion and Calendar are available from the Welcome Centre, and whilst the Santa Trains are taking passengers to see Santa’s Kingdom they are also available from Douglas, Tinseltown (Castletown) and Port Erin stations. For those that want to give the gift of a truly memorable experience, then the Ultimate Driving Experience on the Manx Electric Railway is for you, with new advanced courses being introduced for 2011 for those that want more of a challenge! Residents’ Rail Cards and Residents’ Season Tickets are available from the Isle of Man Welcome Centre and a passport sized photograph will be required for each applicant. The holder must produce the Rail Card every time they want to buy a ticket to travel and the special event discount can only be redeemable in person at The Welcome Centre. Further information on multi-journey tickets, special events and Christmas gift ideas, visit www.iombusandrail.info ­-Ends-