South East rail users hit by change to peak time ticketing

The proliferation of contactless payments on trains has led to increased travel prices on some services, as they now require more expensive rush hour tickets.

The change allows people to pay by tapping their debit card or contactless-enabled device to readers at stations, eliminating the need to manually purchase tickets.

But Conservative Reigate MP Rebecca Paul said the new rules, which were introduced to a further 30 stations in the South East on December 14, risked “passengers being priced out of the railway entirely”.

Train operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said the changes meant many passengers would save money and stressed the process was not designed to increase revenue.

The introduction of contactless payments at a further 30 stations in south-east England forms part of the Department for Transport (DfT)’s Oval Project.

However, changes to paper ticketing time restrictions to accommodate Transport for London’s contactless nature have meant that some services previously available with off-peak tickets now require a more expensive peak ticket.

The first Southern service from Reigate, Surrey, to London on weekdays, available with an off-peak day travel pass, now departs at 09:28, compared to 08:58 previously.

But when the 08:58 train arrives at Redhill just five minutes later, passengers can still board the train even during off-peak hours.

A day travel pass, which can be used at any time from stations, costs £37.10, while an off-peak travel pass costs £20.60.

In addition, new restrictions were imposed on travel between 16:00 and 19:00.

A member of the Reigate, Redhill and District Rail Users Association described the situation as “ridiculous” and said he would cycle to Redhill to save money.

Meanwhile, Paul said some residents are “understandably disappointed” by the contactless expansion.

The MP added: “This change should make rail travel easier, not more expensive or confusing.”

Contactless distribution has also led to the removal of the cheapest super off-peak tickets from some stations.

Passengers paying contactless will be charged twice as much as those using paper tickets on some journeys, an analysis by lobby group Railfuture has said.

This is because discounts for train passes or children cannot be saved contactless.

A GTR spokesman said: “Peak and off-peak timing needs to match the TfL system…

“We understand that for some people this means wages will rise, but for many they will fall.”

This marked a number of savings, such as Reigate passengers now paying £7.60 by taking a single weekday off-peak journey, up from £14.60 previously.

It was stated that passengers traveling before 06:30 and returning before 16:00 or after 19:00 will now save £11.60.

The Department for Transport said: “Contactless ticketing means passengers benefit from simpler, more flexible travel and the majority of single tickets will be the same price or even lower.”