London passengers travelling to and from Stansted airport and key commuter towns in Essex by train will be able to use Contactless bank cards from next month to pay their fare.
This should reduce the number of travellers who receive a £100 penalty fare for travelling with the wrong ticket – but this risk remains for those who try to use an Oyster card, which remains invalid for trips between the capital and Stansted.
The Essex airport had been due to join the growing network of stations across the South-East that accept Contactless payments last December, but this was delayed by a technical glitch.
Greater Anglia, the recently renationalised train company that operates the Stansted Express train in and out of Liverpool Street station, feared it would take until the summer of 2026 to resolve the problems.
But it has now announced that Stansted – and 19 other stations across Essex, including Harlow Town, Bishop’s Stortford, Chelmsford, Southend Victoria and Southend Airport – will accept Contactless payments from Sunday March 8.
An adult single fare on the Stansted Express currently costs £23 at peak times and £21 off-peak.
Pay-as-you-go Contactless ticketing will launch on March 8 at these stations
Billericay
Beaulieu Park
Bishop’s Stortford
Chelmsford
Harlow Mill
Harlow Town
Hatfield Peverel
Hockley
Ingatestone
Prittlewell
Rayleigh
Rochford
Roydon
Sawbridgeworth
Stansted Airport
Southend Victoria
Stansted Mountfitchet
Wickford
Witham
Southend Airport
Contactless ticketing enables “pay-as-you-go” travel and avoids the need for passengers to buy a paper or digital ticket in advance.
It is being extended across train stations beyond Greater London on a rolling basis as part of Government efforts to make it simpler to travel by train. Transport for London is providing the technical expertise.
It should mean that passengers pay no more than the standard peak or off-peak fare, depending on the time of travel.
In addition, daily and weekly fare capping will apply automatically to journeys made on TfL services, such as on the Tube or bus, within the capital.
However, passengers who travel in the evening peak – between 4pm and 7pm – could end up paying more than if they had bought a Day Travelcard. Evening peak times do not apply to Day Travelcards.
In addition, concessionary travel passes, such as for families or groups travelling together, cannot be used with Contactless.
The delay in extending Contactless – which includes bank cards linked to smartphones and smart watches – was caused by the difficulty of integrating Greater Anglia and Transport for London fares.
The expansion of the Contactless network does not change the boundaries of TfL’s Oyster card network, meaning the Oyster card remains invalid at all 20 stations
For trains running in and out of Liverpool Street station, Oyster cards can only be used as far as Shenfield and Hertford East.
Martin Beable, managing director of Greater Anglia, said: “We are pleased to be able to confirm that pay as you go contactless ticketing will be introduced at a further 20 stations from March 8, making travel across our network simpler and more flexible for customers.
“This extension is another important step in modernising ticketing on the railway, allowing passengers to tap in and out and pay for the journeys they make, while improving the overall experience for those travelling into and out of London.”
