Cutting-edge rail ticket technology to be trialled in England for first time

A revolutionary pay-as-you-go rail ticketing system, which tracks passengers' movements as they travel, is set to be tested in England for the first time.

The digital ticketing trial, which uses location-tracking technology, kicks off on East Midlands Railway between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham on Monday, 1 September. Further trials are scheduled to take place in Yorkshire from the end of September.

Under this innovative scheme, passengers will be able to check in and out of their rail journeys using a mobile app. The app will monitor journeys using GPS, with passengers being automatically charged at the end of the day.

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How will it work?

The digital ticketing trials will allow passengers to check in and check out seamlessly on rail journeys, using a location-identifying app on their phone. The app will track journeys using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology and then automatically charge passengers the best fare at the end of the day. For ticket inspections and to go through ticket barriers, a unique bar code will pop up in the app to be scanned.

This technology replaces the need for paper tickets or more commonly used mobile tickets using QR codes bought online or in-app ahead of your journey. Doing away with the need to plan and book journeys in advance, the app tracks your journey and determines which trains you took, detecting when you’ve left the rail network.

Who can participate?

Up to 4,000 people can participate in the trials by registering on train operators' websites. Government ministers are hopeful that the trial will help passengers save both money and time when travelling on the rail network.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy commented: "The railway ticketing system is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Through these trials we're doing just that, and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible.

"By putting passenger experience at the heart of our decision-making we're modernising fares and ticketing and making it simpler and easier for people to choose rail."

Oli Cox, head of commercial strategy and business planning at East Midlands Railway, revealed that "more than 500 people" have already shown interest in participating in the trial. From the end of September, Northern Rail services between Harrogate, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley will also be included in the trial.

This technology has already been tested widely in Switzerland, Denmark and Scotland, however, this marks the first time these trials are being brought to England’s rail network.

Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director, Northern, said: "These trials mark an important step forward in simplifying rail travel and making the experience as frictionless as possible for our customers.

"By trialling digital pay-as-you-go technology on some of our routes, we’re helping to shape a future where hopping on a train is as easy as tapping in and out. We thank the customers who have registered to participate in the trials on our routes later this year and we hope more will come forward to play their part in modernising how people travel by rail in the North."

Find out more on the gov.uk website here.