Contactless rail payments expanding to Southeastern, Thameslink, c2c, LNWR and SWR
A project to expand contactless payments to stations in counties around London is set to move forward next month as another 47 stations go live.
Project Oval is running someway behind schedule with this the second tranche of stations to go live. It’s a Department for Transport project contracted to Transport for London.
While contactless payment has been in operation in London for years, most Train Operating Companies running to outside London either didn’t accept it or used their own version, such as The Key on Southeastern.
Stations now going contactless on Southeastern and Thameslink are:
- Bat & Ball
- Dunton Green
- Eynsford
- Otford
- Sevenoaks
- Shoreham
C2C will see extensive coverage all the way to Southend and Shoeburyness.
- Basildon
- Benfleet
- Chalkwell
- East Tilbury
- Laindon
- Leigh-on-Sea
- Pitsea
- Shoeburyness
- Southend Central
- Southend East
- Stanford-le-Hope
- Thorpe Bay
- Tilbury Town
- West Horndon
- Westcliff
LNWR out of Euston will see these stations covered:
- Apsley
- Berkhamsted
- Bletchley
- Bricket Wood
- Cheddington
- Garston
- Hemel Hempstead
- How Wood
- King’s Langley
- Leighton Buzzard
- Park Street
- St. Albans Abbey
- Tring
- Watford North
SWR stations out of Waterloo include:
- Ashford
- Datchet
- Egham
- Kempton Park
- Shepperton
- Staines
- Sunbury
- Sunnymeads
- Upper Halliford
- Virginia Water
- Windsor & Eton Riverside
- Wraysbury
Another benefit is the use of contactless within London when undertaking an onward journey with fare-capping.
However railcards will not be enabled initially when the system goes live so a paper ticket will be needed.
A total of 223 stations were supposed to go usable by May 2024 including up to Cambridge but that target has not been met.
Stations will be able to accept contactless cards from 22nd September.
