Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on delivering smart ticketing across the rail network by the end of 2018.

The Government’s £80m investment in accelerating smart ticketing builds on previous and existing franchise commitments, and sits alongside Government funding for Transport for the North’s smart ticketing programme and the Rail Delivery Group’s investment in barcode technology. Together, these programmes mean that the rail industry is on track to deliver a smart card or barcode option for singles, returns and seasons for journeys across almost all of the rail network by the end of the year.

Rail ticketing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.