Plans for a London-style transport system in Greater Manchester have taken a step forward as the Rail Minister confirms a planned pilot of tap-in, tap-out ticketing on two Greater Manchester routes.
The pilot scheme will allow passengers to use contactless payments, either from a debit or credit card, or on a mobile device, to check in at their start and destination stations in lieu of pre-purchasing a ticket for the journey. Similarly to the system used on Greater Manchester Metrolink tram network, passengers will have the best train fare calculated for them.
The go-ahead for the scheme from Rail Minister Huw Merriman and the Department for Transport (DfT) follows government commitment for the city-region to have greater control over its rail network as part of its Trailblazer devolution deal.
17 stations in Greater Manchester are set to be included in the trial, on the Glossop to Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge to Victoria lines.
A trial has also been announced for the West Midlands Combined Authority as part of its devolution agreement, and will cover 75 stations in the Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) area, and also accept the Swift smartcards used on TfWM’s bus and tram services.
Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, said:
“We want to encourage more people back onto our trains, with tap-in technology meaning using our stations couldn’t be easier.
“Our railways have a long history, but projects like these – part of the government’s wider plans for reform – will ensure they have a bright future too.“
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“We are transforming how people travel in Greater Manchester, with the aim for people to pay for journeys easily and seamlessly across buses, trams, trains and cycle hire. We look forward to progressing with these new contactless rail pilots and working together to develop a more meaningful and accountable partnership that allows us to integrate local rail services across the city-region into the Bee Network by 2030.“
In preparing the pilots, the Department for Transport (DfT), Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) and Rail Delivery Group (RDG) have worked closely with TfWM, the West Midlands Rail Executive, Transport for Greater Manchester and train operators. Work will continue to finalise plans for the pilots ahead of launch in 2025.
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