Ken Livingstone and new Transport Secretary, Douglas Alexander today announced a new deal which will enable rail passengers to use their Oyster cards to pay for overground journeys whilst laying the foundations for a nationally accepted smartcard ticketing scheme.
Under the scheme Transport for London is to pay for Oyster validation equipment to be provided for all London rail stations in Zones 1 – 6 and will work with the Department for Transport to ensure that all Oyster equipment is capable of accepting other smart cards.
Mr Alexander said the announcement “is a major step forward in ensuring that all passengers can benefit from the improvements new technology can bring” which “lays the foundation for a national integrated ticketing scheme”.
Ken Livingstone said the scheme “will deliver a real improvement to the journeys of thousands of Londoners who currently cannot take advantage of the benefits of Oyster”.