Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, Stansted Mountfitchet and Stansted Airport railway stations to get tap-in tap-out technology

Train passengers at 19 Greater Anglia stations including Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet will be able to use tap-in tap-out technology from next year.

Harlow Town, Harlow Mill and Roydon are also included, as is Stansted Airport, meaning smoother journeys from train to plane for international passengers.

They are among 45 stations operated by the Greater Anglia, Chiltern and GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway) train companies that will benefit from the rollout, thanks to nearly £27 million of Government funding.

They follow 47 previously announced stations across the South East that are getting tap-in tap-out this month.

The announcement was made on Tuesday (September 3) as Transport Secretary Louise Haigh “fired the starting gun” on the Labour Government’s rail reform, ushering in a new era which “prioritises passengers over private companies and reverses decades of delays, cancellations and unreliable services on Britain’s railways”.

It also saw the launch of Shadow Great British Railways (Shadow GBR), which will set in motion a huge overhaul of the running of the rail network, bringing together leaders from the Department for Transport (DfT), Network Rail and publicly-owned operators.

Shadow GBR will pave the way for Great British Railways, a new, unified, arm’s-length body responsible for bringing track and train back together by overseeing services and infrastructure.

The announcement came as the Government’s Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill continues its passage through the Commons.

Ms Haigh said on Tuesday: “Today, I am firing the starting gun on the biggest reforms to our railways in a generation. I am determined to end the chaos, delay and disruption faced by people on train journeys every day.

“Establishing Shadow Great British Railways marks a significant step towards delivering a unified railway with passengers at its heart by bringing together track and train, and by progressing the Passenger Railways Services Bill we’re one step closer to public ownership which will help put our railways back on track.

“This Government will direct every penny into creating a stronger, more reliable rail network that works for everyone.

“This is about making the railways work for the people that use them – putting passengers first and driving up performance.”

Further measures set out by the Secretary of State include a new Rail Sale early next year, to tie in with celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of Britain’s passenger railways. The sale will aim to encourage more people onto trains by offering up to 50% off tickets for a specific time period.