Pay as you go with contactless extended to GWR branch lines

Pay as you go with contactless already exists on GWR and TfL Rail services between London Paddington and Reading, and now passengers using the Henley and Windsor branch lines also have a more flexible way to pay to 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.

Customers must then remember to always 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.

GWR Commercial Director Phil Delaney 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.”

MP for Maidenhead Theresa May 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.”

Over 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.”     

Visit Windsor Manager Julia White 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.

For more information click here.

Notes to editors

• Picture shows left to right: GWR Regional Development Manager Edward Goose; Councillor Andrew Johnson; Councillor Samantha Rayner; GWR Senior Regional Marketing Manager Gauthier Hardy and GWR Pricing Manager Chris Brock
• As pay as you go with contactless is based on single fares, it may not always be the cheapest way to pay for a journey. You can check the cost of your journey here.
• Caps limit how much you pay for all your journeys in one day or week. Although you can buy a paper season ticket to start on any day of the week, capping always calculates your travel week from a Monday and finishes on the following Sunday.
• Daily and weekly capping means customers never pay more than an equivalent Travelcard for their travel to, from or within Zones 1-6 regardless of what services they use.
• Pay as you go with Oyster cannot be used on GWR or TfL Rail services beyond West Drayton. Oyster customers wishing to travel to or from stations beyond West Drayton must use a contactless card or device instead or buy a paper ticket covering the entire length of their journey.
• Under 11s travel free on TfL Rail services when accompanied by an adult. This doesn’t apply on GWR services and a children’s ticket will need to be purchased.
• It is not yet possible to get Railcard discounts or child fares on Contactless. This is something TfL Rail is working on for the future
• Always remember to touch in and out using the same card or mobile device. Find out more at tfl.gov.uk

First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services, and before the covid-19 pandemic helped over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year. GWR was recently awarded an extension to its direct award franchise (called DA3), which shall run up to 31 March 2023 with an option to extend for a further year. 

Find out more here: https://www.gwr.com/about-us 

GWR’s enhanced cleaning regime includes:  

• A 24% increase in cleaning hours every week since March 2020  
• Sanitising (fogging) of 1,120 vehicles every 4 weeks  
• Carrying out 2,150 on board surface tests (ATP) every four weeks, to ensure the effectiveness of our cleaning  
• 272 train cleaning processes reviewed, and many adapted  
• Hand sanitising facilities at key stations across its network.