Press release -
eTicket readers speed rail passengers through every single ticket gate on GTR network
Rail passengers can now skip standing in line at stations for a ticket to ride by using pre-bought smartphone eTickets right across the vast 11-county Govia Thameslink Railway network.
Barcode readers – that allow passengers to scan eTickets held on their smartphones or printed out from an email – have now been added to every single ticket gate at its managed stations – that’s 1,420 readers on 710 ticket gates across 98 stations served by Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink.
Popularity soaring
Smart ticketing has soared in popularity at the expense of old-school paper tickets. Nationally, the proportion of passengers buying barcode eTickets has more than doubled in the past four years (from 20% to 49%) while the percentage of those buying paper tickets has more than halved (from 63% to 28%).
eTickets are convenient and popular because they can be bought instantly on the train firms OnTrack app or websites with no booking fee.
They are ideal for advanced singles, peak and off-peak singles, and peak and off-peak day return tickets.
GTR Customer Services Director Jenny Saunders said: “Getting your ticket with to ride with Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink has just got so much easier.
“Barcode eTickets are quick to buy online and convenient to use. They can now be used at every one of our ticket gates across our vast network. They’ll make everyone’s journey simpler.”
Ends
Editor’s notes
E-tickets are available for advanced singles, peak and off-peak single tickets and peak and off-peak day returns, between any stations with a barcode reader on the ticket gates.
How it works: Buy your ticket online and choose eTicket as your delivery option; get the eTicket in your email and add it to a wallet app on your phone; scan the eTicket on a reader at the ticket gates to travel.
The apps and websites will offer passengers an e-ticket if they are available on the route they want to travel. These are: Southern On Track, Great Northern On Track and Thameslink On Track apps and online at southernrailway.com, gatwickexpress.com, greatnorthernrail.com and thameslinkrailway.com
Topics
Categories
For more information, contact the press office on 0203 750 2031.
Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com
