Contactless rail ticket payment scheme to expand

More rail stations in the South East are set to allow passengers to pay contactless for tickets at barriers.

A further eight stations in Surrey and six in Kent will be introducing the tap-in-tap-out card payment system from 2 February.

The scheme was supposed to start in September but could not proceed as planned due to a cyber-attack affecting Transport for London (TfL).

Passengers will still be able to continue to use pre-paid barcode and paper tickets, according to the Rail Delivery Group.

The new stations taking contactless cards at barriers will be:

• Kent: Bat & Ball, Dunton Green, Eynsford, Otford, Sevenoaks and Shoreham
• Surrey: Ashford, Egham, Kempton Park, Shepperton, Staines, Sunbury, Upper Halliford and Virginia Water

A further 49 stations, including Dorking (Main), East Grinstead, Reigate and Stansted Airport, will also adopt contactless payments in 2025, although a date is yet to be set.

Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy said: "The ticketing system is far too complicated, so we're taking the stress out and replacing it with new technology so passengers can simply tap-in tap-out, while being guaranteed the best fare available.

"This 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."

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