Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve rail ticketing services (a) in stations and (b) online.

Following the Department’s recent work with the rail industry to roll out smart ticketing, train companies have greatly expanded the range of smart tickets that can be bought online and at stations. The Government wants to improve passengers’ experience of buying tickets, which is why I wrote to train operators in the autumn asking for their plans to improve their customer offer. My department will work with train companies to deliver these improvements.

During the recent General Election the Government committed to extending contactless pay-as-you go ticketing to almost 200 more stations in the South East, meaning that 50 per cent of all rail journeys and almost all London commuter journeys can be completed using a contactless bank card. Pay-as-you-go means that passengers do not need to buy a ticket before travelling, which greatly simplifies rail travel and helps people commute more flexibly. Similarly, on 2 January the Government announced trials of part-time season tickets.