Harrogate picked to trial 'revolutionary' digital rail ticket system for passengers
Harrogate has been chosen to take part in trials for a new digital rail tickets system which will revolutionise how passengers pay to travel.
Backed by Government funding, unlike the previous roll out of pay as you go, which uses contactless payment at barriers, the trials by Northern rail will use GPS based technology to track people’s location throughout their train journey.
Taking place between September and November, up to 1,000 passengers will be able to take part on each route of the trials in Yorkshire.
The trials will run along the following routes:
Harrogate – Leeds
Sheffield – Doncaster
Sheffield – Barnsley
Alex Hornby, Northern rail’s commercial and customer director, who was formerly chief executive of Harrogate Bus Company, 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 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 checking in and out."
A trial will also be taking place in the East Midlands, operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and running between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.
Each trial will run for nine months from the start date.
The trials are expected to build on the success of the roll out of contactless ticketing at 53 stations across the South East.
Since being introduced, more than two million entries and exits have been made using contactless cards or mobile devices, averaging around 140,000 a week.
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.”
Digital ticketing builds on the Government’s plans to overhaul the railways to make them simpler, more flexible and passenger focused.
Ahead of the creation of Great British Railways, the Government also announced £15.6 billion, the biggest ever investment, in buses, trams and local train infrastructure for city regions, benefiting working people across the North, the Midlands and the South West.