Stansted and Southend airport rail links gain contactless ticketing

Contactless ticketing is being extended to cover train journeys to and from Stansted and Southend airports.  

Travellers will be able to tap-in and tap-out at all London-area airports for the first time from December 14 ahead of the Christmas rush.  

The 6.7 million people travelling to and from Stansted a year will no longer need to book rail tickets in advance.

Tap-in tap-out ticketing allows passengers to use a bank card or contactless enabled device to enter any train station, instead of manually buying individual or return tickets. 

Ticketing is being modernised at 53 stations across southeast England with £18.7 million of government funding, and more stations are due to follow next year.

But the Department for Transport said: “While contactless will be accepted between London and Stansted airport, the corridor between Stansted and Cambridge will continue under the existing terms.”

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “Rail ticketing is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. 

“Through the expansion of tap in tap out technology, and shortly through GBR [Great British Railways], we’re doing just that and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible – and ensuring passengers can get the best fares.”

Stansted managing director Gareth Powell said: "The introduction of contactless travel on the Stansted Express is great news for passengers and will make rail travel between Stansted and London even more simple and convenient.  

“London Stansted is the third largest airport in the London system and the second biggest gateway to the capital for European visitors. 

“So, as a major enabler of inbound tourism as well as the airport of choice for millions of people in London, more seamless rail travel between the airport and London Liverpool Street will significantly improve our passengers’ experience and make choosing the train even more attractive.” 

Digital ‘pay as you go’ trials are also running in Barnsley, Derby, Doncaster, Harrogate, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield.