The UK is testing new GPS-based train tickets – what you should know
The Department for Transport has announced the launch of digital ticketing trials from the end of the summer across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
Backed by government funding, the trials will use GPS-based technology to track train journeys, ensuring passengers pay the best fare for the journey they take.
Digital ticketing builds on the government’s plans to overhaul the railways to make them simpler, more flexible and passenger-focused, the department said.
Unlike the previous rollout of pay-as-you-go, which uses contactless payment at barriers, these trials will use GPS-based technology to track people’s location throughout their train journey.
Up to 1,000 passengers will be able to take part in each route of the trials, meaning 4,000 passengers in total.
The first trial to get underway will be on East Midlands Railway (EMR) between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, kicking off at the beginning of September. The other routes, operated by Northern, will begin between September and November, with each running for 9 months from the start date.
Anyone interested in taking part should check EMR and Northern Trains’ websites, where a recruitment campaign has been launched.
The trials being operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and Northern Trains will run along these routes:
- Leicester to Derby to Nottingham
- Harrogate to Leeds
- Sheffield to Doncaster
- Sheffield to Barnsley
“Contactless ticketing is making journeys easier to navigate for millions of passengers and now our digital trials are actively recruiting volunteers to help expand this technology across Yorkshire and the East Midlands,” said Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy/
“Simplifying ticketing is a major part of our plans to overhaul the railways. I encourage anyone who regularly gets the train along these routes to get involved and help us build a ticketing system that delivers a better experience for passengers and communities across the country,” he said.
The move forms part of the government’s plans to unify track and train under one organisation – Great British Railways. South Western Railway’s services were the first to transfer to public ownership at the end of May.
C2C’s services will be next to transfer into public ownership on 20 July 2025, the Department for Transport said. This will be followed by Greater Anglia’s services which are set to transfer into public ownership on 12 October 2025.
