Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Simpler train travel for the South East as contactless ticketing rolls out at 47 more stations, published on 20 January 2025, how many and what proportion of the 49 stations announced for rollout in 2025 had contactless introduced by 10 October 2025; what her Department's timetable is for introducing contactless in the remaining stations; and what plans her Department has to extend contactless ticketing (a) beyond the South East and (b) in (i) Greater Manchester and (ii) the West Midlands.

We have committed to expanding Pay As You Go (PAYG) with contactless ticketing to further stations in the Southeast, with an additional 49 stations to be rolled out by the end of this year. Ministers will be making an announcement on delivery soon.

Additionally, we have announced plans to launch PAYG in both Manchester and the West Midlands, expanding PAYG to more than 90 additional rail stations in 2026. Any further announcement on wider expansion beyond this, as well as an update on delivery timings, will be provided in due course.