Everyone aged 26-30 will be able to get a third off their rail fares by the end of the year, the government has confirmed to the Guardian, as the long-delayed millennial railcard is rolled out nationwide.

The repeatedly delayed programme was promised by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, in last year’s budget but until now consumers have struggled to get hold of one, prompting speculation that the project could be dropped.

“We are committed to improving services and making the railways more accessible, including a new 26-30 railcard,” said a Treasury spokesperson. “Following the initial rollout, we are working with the industry to expand the scheme nationwide by the end of the year.”

UK rail timetable fiasco led to huge spike in passenger complaints Read more

The card was announced as part of a range of measures designed to appeal to younger voters who had deserted the Conservatives for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour during the 2017 general election, with the chancellor saying it would give “4.5 million more young people a third off their rail fares”.

The new product offers the same benefits as the existing 16-25 railcard and can be bought by anyone up until the day before their 31st birthday. Users can get a third off most tickets, although there will be a £12 minimum fare at peak time which will limit its use by many commuters.

An initial 10,000 millennial railcards lasting 12 months were sold for £30 last December to people living in the area covered by Greater Anglia trains, as part of a trial. A further 10,000 were then made available nationwide this March, although demand substantially outstripped supply and caused the railcard website to crash, leaving many travellers disappointed.

There had been speculation over the summer that the Treasury had become unnerved by the prospect of finding funding for the policy and was considering scrapping it completely.

This had prompted concerns among existing participants in the trial that they could lose access to their discount shortly before the busy Christmas period – something the Treasury has now confirmed will not happen.

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which operates the railcard scheme and represents the rail industry, said it was “working extremely hard” on the policy and there would be an update shortly.

“The trial of the 26-30 Railcard in East Anglia was extended nationwide so that the rail companies could gather additional data to inform discussions about a national rollout.

“We’re currently examining insights from this trial to ensure that the 26-30 Railcard is the right product for customers before we release any more information.”

