Pay as you go contactless facilities have been extended into Great Western Railway’s (GWR’s) Thames Valley region, with services to Windsor & Eton Central and Henley-on-Thames now taking this payment.
Up until now, pay as you go with contactless already existed on GWR and TfL Rail services between London Paddington and Reading. But as of this week, passengers using the Henley and Windsor branch lines also have a more flexible way to pay for travel.
Any contactless payment including bank cards, Apple Pay and Android Pay can be used by touching the card or mobile device on the yellow reader located at ticket gatelines.
However, customers must remember to tap out with the same card or mobile device once they’ve reached their destination.
Pay as you go with contactless was first introduced on London’s buses in 2012 and expanded to cover Tube and rail services across the capital in 2014.
Phil Delaney GWR commercial director, said: “Pay as you go with contactless is an easy and convenient alternative to having to queue at the station for a printed ticket and we’re really excited to be able to extend its use on the branch lines to Henley-on-Thames and Windsor & Eton Central.
“We introduced contactless between London Paddington and Reading early in 2020 and although customer numbers dropped significantly during the pandemic, it was still a popular method of payment.
“We’re always looking at ways to make travelling with GWR a simpler, more accessible experience and believe extending pay as you go with contactless to our branch lines will be well received by customers.”
Theresa May, MP for Maidenhead, said: “I welcome the further rollout of contactless payment services across train stations in the Maidenhead constituency.
“Contactless payment has already been an immense benefit for passengers travelling through Maidenhead and Twyford stations and it is great to see this service now being rolled out to the branch lines.
“I am sure that residents who use Wargrave and surrounding stations will also welcome this development which will simplify travel and increase accessibility for rail users.
“I also look forward to contactless payments being extended to the Marlow line for constituents using Furze Platt and Cookham as well.”
Shashi Verma, chief technology officer at Transport for London (TfL) said: “The popularity of convenient travel via pay as you go with contactless has seen it expand across London and the surrounding areas in recent years. We are delighted to bring this smartcard ticketing to these branch lines, which will help rail customers outside London travel more flexibly and conveniently and support the wider economic recovery through easier access to rail travel.”
More than 1.6m journeys have been made with Pay as you go with contactless between Reading and Paddington since its introduction in early 2020.
Councillor Andrew Johnson, leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead and Councillor Samantha Rayner, deputy leader & cabinet member for Windsor, said: “The extension of contactless payments to Windsor & Eton Central means even greater flexibility and ease of access to the historic heart of our borough for our many visitors and residents travelling to and from the towns.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to visit our borough and enjoy all that it has to offer, helping our local economic recovery post pandemic in the process. Making travel easier and more convenient in this way supports this work.”
Julia White, Visit Windsor manager, said: “We’re excited to see contactless payment extended to Windsor & Eton Central Station to make it easier for our domestic and international visitors to come and enjoy all our historical town has to offer. This is an important step in supporting post-pandemic business recovery and a thriving local economy by making it so convenient to travel by train. There are so many great reasons to visit Windsor especially during this special milestone year of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”
Pay as you go with contactless is expected to be extended to the Marlow branch line in the coming weeks.
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