Digital rail ticket trials reach Midlands and Yorkshire

Rail passengers in Yorkshire and East Midlands will be able to participate in a digital ticketing trial, which will use GPS-based technologies to track journeys and ensure passengers pay the best price for their journey. 

Digital ticketing makes rail journeys simpler, more flexible and passenger-focused, and continues work to deliver positive changes for rail passengers across the country

These trials build on successful ones in the 53 participating stations in the South East, which used contactless ticketing to process more than two million entries. This trial, however, will use GPS-based technology to track people’s location through their train journey. Similar trials in Manchester and West Midlands are being discussed to develop proposals for rolling out contactless ticketing even further.

The trails are being operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and Northern Trains and will run along: Leicester to Derby to Nottingham, Harrogate to Leeds, Sheffield to Doncaster, and Sheffield to Barnsley.

1,000 passengers will be able to participate in these trials, totalling 4,000 passengers in total, with the first trials to be run by EMR. Northern Trains will soon follow suit, with trials beginning in September and November, running for nine months.

A recruitment campaign has begun from today (Friday 6th June), and can be found on EMR and Northern Trains’ websites.

Rail minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: “Contactless ticketing is making journeys easier to navigate for millions of passengers and now our digital trials are actively recruiting volunteers to help expand this technology across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

“Simplifying ticketing is a major part of our plans to overhaul the railways. I encourage anyone who regularly gets the train along these routes to get involved and help us build a ticketing system that delivers a better experience for passengers and communities across the country.”