Oyster pre-pay for local rail

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with Putney possibly going live this year ......

Local rail travellers will finally have the opportunity to use an Oyster pre-pay card throughout overground stations in London.

The Mayor of London has said that stations with ticket barriers - like Putney, Clapham Junction and Earlsfield - could have new Oyster readers installed this year.

Those which are not gated - for Wandsworth Town and Wandsworth Common - will be covered by 2008 when all 310 rail stations in zones 1-6 are included.

A deal that will help London's rail passengers get the full benefit of Oyster cards and lay the foundations for a nationally accepted smartcard ticketing scheme has been struck.

The details of the announcement were set out by the new Transport Secretary, Douglas Alexander and London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Transport for London has agreed to pay for Oyster validation equipment to be provided for all London rail stations in Zones 1 - 6. It offers train companies the opportunity to accept Oyster pay-as-you go products on their services.

Transport for London has also agreed to work with the Department for Transport to ensure that all Oyster equipment is capable of accepting other smart cards. These are currently under development for use on public transport across the country by the Integrated Ticketing Smartcard Organisation (ITSO).

It builds on the Government's decision to require bidders for the new South Western rail franchise to set out how a new smart ticketing system could be introduced across its franchise area from London to the South Coast.

Ken Livingstone said, "The extension of Oyster from just sixty rail stations to over three hundred under this agreement marks a massive step towards a fully integrated ticketing system in London, enabling passengers to move easily between rail, tube, DLR, tram and bus using an Oyster card and without having to buy separate tickets. It will deliver a real improvement to the journeys of thousands of Londoners who currently cannot take advantage of the benefits of Oyster"

Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister said, "I have been inundated with messages of support for the council's campaign. At last south Londoners will have the same freedom of travel around the capital's transport network as people living north of the river. It will also help to get rid of the long queues at ticket offices in the morning rush hour."

The introduction of Oyster technology could start this year at gated stations and once worked through with train operators, Oyster pay-as-you-go could be available at National Rail stations in London during 2008. Currently there are only 60 London National Rail stations where passengers can use Pay-as-you-go. The total number of stations in London zones 1-6 is 310.

May 12, 2006