53 more stations to get contactless ticketing

53 additional stations will benefit from contactless ticketing by the end of 2023

The Department for Transport has announced that passengers across the South East from Shepperton to Shoeburyness will benefit from simpler, more flexible and better value train travel as the next 53 stations set to introduce tap-in tap-out ticketing by the end of the year are confirmed.

Thanks to £20 million funding from the government, the use of bank cards or smart device to tap-in to travel will be made available for tens of thousands more passengers.

Pay As You Go is already available at over 350 stations across London and the South East stretching from Reading and Gatwick Airport to Shenfield and Welwyn Garden City. This new announcement, in partnership with Transport for London (TfL), C2C, Southeastern, South Western Railway, London Northwestern and Chiltern, will see the total number of tap-in-tap-out stations in England increase to over 400 by the end of the year.

This move follows the Transport Secretary’s commitment in his George Bradshaw address to reform and overhaul fares and ticketing across Britain’s railways, making them simpler and more flexible across the network.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “One of the best ways to get more people using our railways is to make journeys as simple, flexible and convenient as possible and the government’s programme for rail reform prioritises exactly that.

“By removing the stress of finding the best deal in advance or having the right ticket ready to go at the barriers, the extension of tap-in tap-out ticketing is the next step of our plan for rail reform and we’re working towards Pay As You Go being rolled out beyond the South East through the Midlands and up to the North.”

Pay As You Go is widely used across London and the surrounding area, with TfL data showing that more than 75% of all Tube and rail Pay As You Go journeys are now made using contactless payment cards or mobile devices, compared to 25% in 2016.

Following on from this rise in popularity, the department is continuing its work with the GBR transition team to extend Pay As You Go in the Midlands and the North, as part of Trailblazer devolution deals announced earlier this year with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.