Government to invest £80m in ‘next generation’ of rail ticketing

The Government has unveiled details of a multi-million pound investment in smart rail ticketing across England and Wales.

The £80m plan will enable every passenger to travel without a paper ticket by the end of 2018, by making mobile barcode ticketing available on every British rail franchise.

Further, passengers will have the option of using their smartphones to host digital travel cards. A pilot of the technology is expected to run in the next four months.

The Government also said its Department for Transport is working with railway body the Rail Delivery Group to develop “the next generation of ticketing systems”, which will give passengers more tailored options when paying for travel.

Discussions with train firms about introducing mobile phone smart cards are now at an advanced stage. Deals are expected soon with three operators.

Pay-as-you-go travel is also rolling out across Britain’s rail network, including with the launch of contactless travel card system KeyGo by Govia Thameslink Railway.

KeyGo lets passengers use their card to tap in and tap out – and be automatically charged the most appropriate fare – across almost the entire Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern networks. Other train operators are preparing to introduce KeyGo.

Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, said: “Passengers across the country want smart ticketing and this government will deliver it.

“This significant investment will ensure that passengers across the network can use mobile phones, bar codes and smart cards across almost all of the network by the end of next year.”