The Government has set out plans to introduce smart ticketing across England and Wales by the end of 2018.

Smart ticketing will be in place across England and Wales by the end of 2018.

The £80m investment programme announced by the Department for Transport will mean that passengers will be able to use mobile phones, bar codes and smart cards across almost all of the network by the end of next year.

This includes enabling passengers to have smart cards hosted on their mobile phone – like a digital travel card – with a pilot of this technology expected in the next four months.

The DfT also said the move would give passengers more tailored options to pay for their travel, saving them money and offering better value deals.

In addition, pay-as-you-go travel is being rolled out, including with the introduction of KeyGo – a contactless travel card – which allows passengers to use their card to tap in and tap out across virtually the entire Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern networks and automatically be charged the most appropriate fare for their journey. Tests are also due to start shortly on South Western Railway, c2c and Greater Anglia.For more of the latest industry news, click here.