Tynwald members have voted to simply ’receive’ a select committee report that found no compelling case to re-introduce free travel for pensioners on the island’s railways.

But they did not approve the recommendation that transport chiefs consider discounts for season passes.

In 2015, state pensioners’ entitlement to free travel on all bus, train and tram services was abolished to save money. The select committee was asked to consider reversing that, but decided that travel on the heritage railways was a leisure activity.

A number of members were unhappy with the outcome, although there was no consensus on the right track to take.

In the face of other amendments placed, that proposed different measures, Clare Bettison (Douglas East) tabled one calling for the report to be merely received, therefore not committing the Department of Infrastructure to any particular route.

That was successful.

The DoI already plans to introduce the discounts on the concessionary Go Platinum cards for annual passes.