Fares, Ticketing & Retail

Creating a simpler, better customer experience in rail for everyone in Britain

Clearer pricing, modern methods of payment and straightforward compensation will help us to restore trust and encourage more people to use rail.

Our Fares, Ticketing & Retail team (FTR) is committed to delivering on the Plan for Rail. We will revolutionise the customer retail experience including:

  • Creating a new digital channel and app that will personalise the travel experience and consolidate existing online channels.
  • Digital ticketing across the rail network.
  • Convenient, contactless experience in major urban centres.
  • Modernising the in-station retailing experience.
  • Simplified, best available value for money options on journeys outside urban areas.

Developing and delivering on the FTR programme

In 2021, the Government announced £360m for the initial phase of the modern digital ticketing roll out. We have been working with the Department for Transport to ensure that the right approach, people, and structures are in place. This includes establishing and resourcing the five work packages and the accelerating the enabling activities that underpin them.

As industry-lead for FTR reform, we are bringing together fragmented projects and decision making processes to speed up modernisation. Clear pricing, digital ticketing, and a system that can adapt to changing customer needs will underpin a transformation of the customer experience.

The FTR journey to GBR Day 1

We will deliver five key outcomes, each implemented through incremental improvements:

  1. Introducing ‘tap in, tap out’ contactless PAYG payments within urban centres, and extending the London PAYG network
  2. Creating a trusted and simple fares experience. Best value fares will be easy to identify and buy through an expansion of advance purchase options, aligned to PAYG.
  3. Creating a new single online channel and app for the industry. This will operate alongside third-party retailers and will resolve the current confusion passengers face with multiple train operating company websites.
  4. A personalised customer experience, giving both real-time journey updates and loyalty recognition whatever retailer a ticket is purchased through.
  5. A modernised, efficient retail customer experience in stations.