Train travel to London airports simplified
Image courtesy Department for Transport
From 14th December, customers can tap-in and tap-out at all London airports for the first time, ensuring seamless connections from train to plane across the capital - just in time for Christmas travel.
The 6.7 million people travelling to and from Stansted Airport annually will no longer need to worry about booking tickets in advance and will experience more convenient and easier journeys.
The technology rollout is part of the government’s work to make rail fares and tickets more convenient, accessible and flexible through the move to Great British Railways (GBR) and builds on the introduction of other innovative ticketing technologies, such as digital pay-as-you-go trials running in Barnsley, Derby, Doncaster, Harrogate, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield.
It has been made possible by £18.7 million in government funding, as well as support from Transport for London, as part of a wider scheme across the south-east, with 50 stations getting the same upgrade at once.
Other stations modernising ticketing include those used by publicly owned train companies Greater Anglia and South Western Railway, like Beaulieu Park, Woking and Chelmsford.
By making it easier to choose rail, the scheme will help passengers get the cheapest fares on the days they travel, make it easier to access work and as a result boost growth, as part of the Plan for Change.
Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: "Rail ticketing is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Through the expansion of tap-in tap-out technology and shortly through GBR, we’re doing just that and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible – and ensuring passengers can get the best fares.
"As part of our Plan for Change, we’re delivering straightforward, stress-free train travel across the south-east, supporting passengers and boosting economic growth, jobs and homes."
Tap-in tap-out ticketing allows passengers to use a bank card or contactless enabled device to enter any train station, instead of manually buying individual or return tickets. The government has already rolled out this technology at 53 additional stations across the south-east, with 5.6 million journeys taken since June 2024, and more stations to follow next year.
Alex Williams, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer at Transport for London (TfL), said: "For more than 10 years, the popularity of convenient travel via pay-as-you-go with contactless has grown and become increasingly popular across London and the surrounding areas. We are delighted to be extending pay-as-you-go with contactless to a further 50 stations from 14th December, including Stansted Airport, making it easier for those arriving at the airport to travel to London and experience all the city has to offer.
"Expanding pay-as-you-go with contactless will further help those travelling by rail outside London do so more flexibly and conveniently, avoid the need to pre-purchase tickets or paper Travelcards when heading into the capital, and support the wider UK economic recovery through easier access to rail travel.
Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said: "The introduction of contactless travel on the Stansted Express is great news for passengers and will make rail travel between Stansted and London even more simple and convenient.
"London Stansted is the third largest airport in the London system and the second biggest gateway to the capital for European visitors. So, as a major enabler of inbound tourism as well as the airport of choice for millions of people in London, more seamless rail travel between the airport and London Liverpool Street will significantly improve our passengers’ experience and make choosing the train even more attractive."
Jacqueline Starr, Executive Chair and CEO of the Rail Deliver Group, said: "This is another important step in making it easier for customers to travel by train. Extending tap-in-tap-out to a further 50 stations will mean even more rail customers can benefit from this technology, knowing they will always pay the right fare at the right price. The rail industry is committed to working with government to improve and enhance the overall experience for our customers.
Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, Martin Beable, said: "We are pleased to be introducing pay-as-you-go contactless ticketing for passengers travelling to Stansted Airport and Southend Airport using the Stansted Express or Greater Anglia’s fast, frequent and reliable services.
"Alongside our modern fleet of trains and ongoing station improvements, expanding pay-as-you-go contactless ticketing helps us continue to make train travel more convenient, accessible and attractive for everyone."
The expansion comes as the government is delivering the biggest overhaul of the railways in a generation through the creation of GBR, which will help to deliver better, more modern services for passengers and simpler fares across the network.
Contactless technology will become commonplace under GBR, which, once established, will build on the expansion of existing successful pay-as-you-go and fares trials.
The expansion of tap-in tap-out builds on the introduction of other innovative ticketing technologies, like the digital ticketing trials, which have seen more than 4,000 journeys taken since gradually launching in September, as well as simpler ticketing in Greater Manchester, which ends the complex array of fares.
Stations introducing pay-as-you-go
Ashtead
Aylesbury
Aylesbury Vale Parkway
Baldock
Beaulieu Park
Billericay
Bishop’s Stortford
Box Hill & Westhumble
Chelmsford
Dorking (Main)
Dormans
East Grinstead
Great Missenden
Harlington
Harlow Mill
Harlow Town
Hatfield Peverel
Hitchin
Hockley
Hurst Green
Ingatestone
Knebworth
Leagrave
Leatherhead
Letchworth Garden City
Lingfield
Little Kimble
Luton
Monks Risborough
Oxted
Princes Risborough
Prittlewell
Rayleigh
Reigate
Rochford
Roydon
Saunderton
Sawbridgeworth
Southend Airport
Southend Victoria
Stansted Airport
Stansted Mountfitchet
Stevenage
Stoke Mandeville
Watton-at-Stone
Welwyn North
Wendover
Wickford
Witham
Woldingham
