Full list of Kent train stations to become pay as you go
The full list of Kent stations that are to become pay as you go has been announced. The Department for Transport announced a rollout of tap-in tap-out to 53 stations
The scheme is part of a £20 million Government roll out to extend pay as you go to further 200 stations in the South East. There are plans for it to reach Greater Manchester and the West Midlands by the end of the year .
The DfT said it is part of the plans to "make fares and ticketing simpler and more convenient for passengers". They added passengers "will benefit from simpler, more flexible and better value train travel".
The DfT also said customers using the pay as you go scheme will be "automatically be guaranteed the best price available on the day of travelling". London train passengers already largely use pay as you go, as the scheme is available at over 350 stations in the capital and surrounding areas.
TfL data shows that more than 75% of Tube and rail journeys are regularly made using contact payment cards of mobile devices compared to 25 per cent in 2016. Today’s announcement, in partnership with Transport for London, C2C, Southeastern, South Western Railway, London Northwestern, and Chiltern, will see the total number of tap-in-tap-out stations in England jump to over 400 by the end of the year.
The Transport Secretary laid out plans to reform and overhaul fares and ticketing across the railways in his George Bradshaw Address. AS part of the reform, the government has announced the headquarters of GBR and extended single-leg pricing across all of LNER’s 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.”
Shashi Verma, Chief Technology Officer at Transport for London (TfL) said: “The popularity of convenient travel via a pay as you go system has seen it expand and become increasingly popular across London and the surrounding areas in recent years.
"We are delighted to be delivering this expansion of pay as you go with contactless to a further 53 stations across the South East for the Department for Transport (DfT), helping to share our experience in smartcard ticketing with the wider rail industry. This will help those traveling by rail outside London do so more flexibly and conveniently, and support the wider UK economic recovery through easier access to rail travel.”
Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We have long called for fares to be made easier and more flexible for our customers – our extensive fare consultation in collaboration with the independent passenger watchdog Transport Focus in 2019 overwhelmingly demonstrated the need for modernising rail fares.
“The introduction of contactless, Pay As You Go payments is a significant step in the right direction. It eliminates the need to queue at ticket machines or pre-book paper tickets, allowing passengers to simply tap their contactless cards or devices to pay for their journey. We believe that embracing contactless technology will enhance the overall passenger experience and contribute to a more seamless journey on our network.”
Pay As You Go ticketing will be available at all of these stations by the end of December with individual openings dependent on the amount of existing technology at the stations. Further information on when each station will be introducing this will be available at each station.
The Kent stations to have pay as you go by the end of the year
Bat & Ball
Sevenoaks
Shoreham
Otford
Full list of stations to get the technology
Basildon
West Horndon
Sevenoaks
Bletchley
Benfleet
Westcliff
Shoreham (Kent)
Bricket Wood
Chalkwell
Beaconsfield
Ashford (Surrey)
Cheddington
East Tilbury
Denham
Datchet
Garston
Laindon
Denham Golf Club
Egham
Hemel Hempstead
Leigh-on-Sea
Gerrards Cross
Kempton Park
How Wood
Pitsea
High Wycombe
Shepperton
Kings Langley
Shoeburyness
Seer Green & Jordans
Staines
Leighton Buzzard
Southend Central
Bat & Ball
Sunbury
Park Street
Southend East
Dunton Green
Sunnymeads
St Albans Abbey
Stanford-le-Hope
Eynsford
Upper Halliford
Tring
Thorpe Bay
Otford
Virginia Water
Watford North
Tilbury Town
Windsor & Eton Riverside
Wraysbury
Apsley
Berkhamsted
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References
- ^ Kent criminals locked in June including paedophiles, sex offenders and killer drivers (www.kentlive.news)
- ^ HERE. (data.reachplc.com)