South East Train Travel Eased With New Contactless Rollout

In 2 weeks' time, passengers across the South East will be able to use tap-in and tap-out ticketing at 47 more stations for the first time, guaranteeing they get the best value ticket available on the day.

The new ticketing, which will be rolled out at these stations from 2 February 2025, will turn dozens of key commuter lines such as Sevenoaks to London Bridge into fully contactless journeys making train travel simpler, more accessible and more flexible.

Building on our core principle to always put passenger experience at the heart of our railways, everyone using tap-in tap-out will be guaranteed the best value ticket available on the day saving both time and money on every journey taken, helping to improve living standards and making working people better off - delivering on our Plan for Change .

Contactless ticketing will be rolled out at a further 49 stations throughout 2025, including London Stansted Airport - meaning all London airports will be accessible by tap-in tap-out ticketing for the first time ever - ensuring seamless connections from train to plane across our capital. This will include 4 stations in the South East being announced for the first time today (20 January 2025):

• Baldock
• Hitchin
• Letchworth Garden City
• Stevenage

Modernising our transport system, delivering better value fares and improving passenger experiences to drive more passengers back to the railway is at the heart of the government's mission to deliver growth and make working people better off.

Untangling the complex web of ticketing is just one of the ways in which the government is fulfilling its commitment to modernise Britain's transport system and it comes as part of the government's plan to deliver the biggest overhaul of our rail network in a generation, putting passengers at the heart of every journey and encouraging more people to choose rail.

Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:

The ticketing system is far too complicated, so we're taking the stress out of navigating the labyrinth of fares and replacing it with new technology so passengers can simply tap-in tap-out, while being guaranteed the best fare available at the time on the day.

This hassle-free technology will simplify thousands of journeys every day for passengers across the South East, and it's something we will roll out to other cities as soon as we can, unlocking growth across the country as part of our Plan for Change.

We are delivering the biggest overhaul of our rail network in a generation, putting passengers at the heart of every journey and encouraging more people to choose rail.

These rail routes provide vital connections across the South East, delivering key links to the city, the seaside and the countryside whether it's for work, education or connecting with friends and family.

The department is working closely with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to develop their proposals for rolling out contactless ticketing even further.

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of Rail Delivery Group, said:

We want our customers to travel with ease with fares that reflect travellers' needs post-pandemic. We're delighted that pay as you go technology is being expanded to 47 stations which will provide convenience, simplicity and flexibility, making it easier than ever for customers to pay and travel seamlessly.

We are committed to developing a simpler and better-value fare system that not only meets our customers' expectations but also supports the long-term growth of rail travel and enhances the overall customer experience.

Tap-in tap-out technology launched at 6 Chiltern stations last summer as the first stations to benefit as part of this rollout, including High Wycombe, Beaconsfield and Denham Golf Club.

In the first 6 months of contactless ticketing being available at those 6 stations, more than 268,000 entries and exits were made using contactless cards or mobile devices - showing how popular the system is with customers using those stations already.

Alex Williams, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer at Transport for London (TfL), said:

The popularity of convenient travel via pay as you go with contactless has seen it grow and become increasingly popular across London and the surrounding areas in the ten years since it launched in London. We are delighted to be extending pay as you go with contactless to a further 47 stations on the 2 February.

This will further help those travelling by rail outside London do so more flexibly and conveniently, avoid the need to pre-purchase tickets or paper Travelcards when heading into the capital, and support the wider UK economic recovery through easier access to rail travel.

Great British Railways will bring track and train together under one directing mind with a relentless focus on improving services for passengers and customers, modernising the network through expanding technologies such as contactless ticketing.

47 stations getting contactless ticketing on 2 February

Further 49 stations getting contactless ticketing in 2025

• Ashtead
• Aylesbury
• Aylesbury Vale Parkway
• Baldock (new)
• Box Hill and Westhumble
• Billericay
• Bishop's Stortford
• Chelmsford
• Dorking (Main)
• Dormans
• East Grinstead
• Great Missenden
• Harlington
• Harlow Mill
• Harlow Town
• Hatfield Peverel
• Hitchin (new)
• Hockley
• Hurst Green
• Ingatestone
• Knebworth
• Leagrave
• Leatherhead
• Letchworth Garden City (new)
• Lingfield
• Little Kimble
• Luton
• Monks Risborough
• Oxted
• Princes Risborough
• Prittlewell
• Rayleigh
• Reigate
• Rochford
• Roydon
• Sawbridgeworth
• Saunderton
• Southend Airport
• Southend Victoria
• Stansted Airport
• Stansted Mountfitchet
• Stevenage (new)
• Stoke Mandeville
• Watton-at-Stone
• Welwyn North
• Wendover
• Wickford
• Witham
• Woldingham