The U.K. has been a part of Interrail since 1973 | Alex Halada/AFP via Getty Images British train companies quit Interrail scheme Split caused by spat over rival passes, not Brexit.

U.K. rail firms will no longer participate in the Interrail system of pan-European ticketing, ending the prospect of cheap summer jaunts through Britain for young travelers from the Continent.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) which represents British rail companies said in a statement that Eurail, the company that runs the system, had “decided to end our membership … despite us wanting to remain part of the group.”

But Eurail placed the blame on British rail companies, saying they had pulled out of the Interrail scheme.

Interrail has been open to travelers from 31 European countries but the Eurail group wanted to merge it with another scheme for travelers from other countries, according to the RDG. The split between the two sides came after U.K. companies stopped taking part in that trial program.

Instead, the British association is promoting a BritRail ticket for all travelers from overseas.

“I deeply regret that RDG’s priority to secure a competitive position for their BritRail Pass has led them to pull out of Interrail and Eurail,” said Eurail’s General Manager Carlo Boselli in an emailed statement.

Tickets bought up until the end of December will still be valid for trains in the U.K. this year, Eurail said Wednesday, but British participation will cease from January.

The RDG stressed that Brits would still be able to buy Interrail passes for travel in other European countries. “British people will feel no difference,” RDG’s Director for Regions and Nations Robert Nisbet said in a statement.

Eurostar tickets will still be included in the scheme, offering travelers connections from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam into London. Discounts on ferry services to the U.K. will also continue, Eurail said. But operators of trains running on the U.K.'s privately run passenger network will stop accepting Interrail tickets, which typically offer free rides on a certain number of days and discount tickets to those under the age of 27.

The U.K. has been a part of Interrail since 1973, the same year it joined the EU. However, the scheme is an arrangement between companies rather than an EU policy so the split is not connected to Brexit, said Mark Smith, who runs train travel website The Man in Seat 61.

"This is a decision of the British train operators, it's on them," said Smith. "It's as if they see the grass-roots [flight shame] movement towards rail, and instead of welcoming it, deliberately go out of their way to stop it."

Britain's Liberal Democrats and Green Party have come out against the decision. “This is entirely the wrong direction of travel, in both environmental and international relations terms,” Greens deputy leader Amelia Womack.

This article has been updated.