“It’s only right that we now look to expand contactless ticketing to other major cities across the North, ensuring they can reap the economic benefits that simpler ticketing offers and that passengers are having a better experience.”.
Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Historically, ticketing across the rail industry has been far too complicated and so anything that makes the customer experience simpler has my vote.
Rail minister Lord Hendy said: “We’ve seen the success that contactless ticketing has on making journeys easier to navigate and attracting more people to our railways.
The location of train passengers will be tracked as they travel as part of a contactless ticketing trial, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “This is another step in making fares and ticketing easier for everyone.
