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Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it emerged today.
After years of negotiations and a £40 million investment, Mayor Boris Johnson and the train operating companies have finally come to an agreement which means commuters will be able to touch in and out at all Network Rail stations from 2 January as well as on the Tube and bus network.
The move will make some journeys cheaper as passengers will not have to buy a separate ticket for the Overground. The biggest savings will be on long journeys, such as between Surbiton in Zone 6 and Waterloo for which the off-peak price will fall from £5 to £3.20.
The cost of travelling from East Croydon in Zone 5 to London Bridge in Zone 1 will drop from £4.40 to £2.60 — roughly 40 per cent cheaper. Shorter journeys such as a trip from Lewisham in Zone 1 to Charing Cross will cost £1.70 off-peak and £2.10 peak compared with £2.40 at present.
Although some fares are cheaper, rail operators are expected to benefit from an increase in passenger numbers.
Click on the image below to see a large version of the new map
Mr Johnson today claimed the agreement, which also includes Thames river boats, was a “landmark”.
He said: “After what feels like aeons of negotiation and much gnashing of Londoners' teeth we can finally announce that the Oysterisation of all London's commuter rail services is to become a reality. This combined with the news about Thames Clippers services means Oyster will truly become the only ticket Londoners need to get around town.”
Currently passengers using the Oyster top-up card have to buy a separate ticket to travel on most Network Rail routes and Thames River services.
The extension of the smart ticketing system will cover all commuter rail routes within Greater London. It will particularly benefit commuters living in south and north-east London, where Oyster pay-as-you-go is not accepted on the vast majority of rail services.
Under the agreement Oyster pay-as-you-go will be accepted on all Greater London services operated by Chiltern, National Express East Anglia, London Midland, First Great Western, First Capital Connect, Southern, Southeastern and South West Trains. Oyster pay-as-you-go will also be accepted on c2c services in Greater London as well as Grays, Chafford Hundred, Purfleet and Ockendon stations in Essex.
TfL has invested £40 million to install or upgrade equipment at every station in London.
The new Oyster routes will be included on a map dubbed “the World of Oyster” which incorporates Overground services in a range of different colours. The new map will be introduced at London Underground stations from early next year and will replace the “High Frequency Services” map.
Sharon Grant, chairwoman of London TravelWatch, said: “This is great news and a new dawn for passengers in London. We have been pressing for Oyster to be made available on rail for years, and we are absolutely delighted that the day has finally arrived. This is a big step towards the integrated transport network London needs and deserves.”
But critics say today's announcement has taken too long after Mr Johnson originally said he would fully implement the Oyster card on Overground services by May this year.
Caroline Pidgeon, the Lib-Dem chairwoman of the Assembly's transport committee, said: “After repeated delays it is welcome that Oyster PAYG is finally being extended to cover all national rail services in London.”
Transport Secretary, Andrew Adonis said: “Oyster pay-as-you-go will transform travel in London as for the first time passengers will be able to travel seamlessly across the network and switch between Underground and all Overground rail services.
“If we are to encourage more people onto public transport we must make it as easy and convenient to use as possible. That is exactly what Oyster has done in London and why extending pay-as-you-go to rail services is so important. Oyster on rail will open up a range of new journey opportunities for Londoners and will mean that rail passengers travelling into and across the capital from other parts of the country will only need one type of ticket. But we mustn't stop there — I want to see smart ticketing on all modes of public transport in England as quickly as possible.”
Reader views (52)
I went to my local newsagents in london today. They don't sell paper tickets anymore for One day Bus Passes and Travelcards the woman told me. Only Oyster and the prices have gone up. So you can't buy paper tickets anymore, only use Oyster or pay hefty cash price.
A card detailing all your travel movements for convenient government use by stealth/price.
- Johnathan, London, 13/01/2010 09:01
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What a surprise. People putting this idea down before it's even launched. How typically British!
- Martin, London, 24/11/2009 16:23
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Great idea but how are they ever going to install the readers and barriers at all the stations on the network within the 6 weeks they have before implementation? Hardly any stations on my local network - South West Trains - have the equipment installed and I'm sure this applies to Southern, South Eastern etc. as well. It took them months to install the barriers at Waterloo - yes I know that's a big station but extrapolating to all the other stations on the network I would think it would be the end of next year at least before they have all the equipment installed. Still I shall be mightily impressed if they do it by the 2nd Jan. Again a great idea and long overdue.
- Tom Hill, East Molesey, 24/11/2009 13:52
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Everyone is very excited about how much better this is going to be. Can anyone explain to me how my station has suddenly moved from Zone 5 (where it's been for 20+ years) to Zone 6? Cheaper? I assume this is going to mean that my Annual Gold Card will now be more expensive because my station is now considered to be one zone further away from the Centre. Good effort!
- Sharon, London, 24/11/2009 13:12
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Peak single oyster trips on trains have been set as 10p less than a peak national rail single fare. Off peak single oyster trips on trains have been set at 5p less than 50% of the off peak return trip. i.e. the oyster should always be very slightly cheaper, and certainly more convenient than buying a ticket. However, a major problem with oyster PAYG is that it has an evening peak period, whereas travelcards and rail tickets only have a morning peak. Therefore, if your return journey is on a weekday at the evening rush hour, you should buy a paper ticket.
What isn't clear - Will there still be capping at 50 p less than a travel card?, else it is possible to pay considerably more to travel than buying a day travel card.
Re: the extension to travel permit. It is because many national rail stations don't have barriers. E.g., if you have a zone 1-2 travelcard, you can tap in at the london terminal station, but you don't have to tap out at your destination station in zone 6 if there is no-oone at the other end - i.e. you get the journey for free. The travel permit idea will be a nightmare, as I doubt many rail stations have suitable card readers (e.g. at Richmond, which has tube trains, I can't find a TFL ticket machine only SW trains ones!) The solution should be to make it compulsory to tap out even if you have a travel card on you oyster card. Having 2 cards as per an earlier suggestion wouldn't work, as you'd get charged PAYG on the whole journey not just the extension.
- David, West Hampstead, 24/11/2009 12:53
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Finally! Thanks Boris, goodness knows why your predecessor didn't get this done during his eight years when it has taken you less than two!
- St, London
Does this person live in a dreamworld? Oyster was introduced by Ken while the concept of zonal fares was also introduced by Ken when he was leader of the GLC over 20 years ago.
The reason for the delay was the crazy privatisation scheme introduded by John Major at the end of 18 wasted years and it is this what has caused the delay!!!!
Boris has taken 2 years to do this so he is a bit slow. in fact when asked about it not applying to Javelin services on TV he had to ask someone for Boris is "The man who knows nothing!"
Next step needs to be creation of a new zone around London to take in stations like Dartford and Waltham Cross that have TFL buses which accept Oyster but are outside this scheme.
Then it will be to get day travelcards onto Oyster where railways have Oyster readers outside London C2C comes to mind.
Fares can only be sorted out when the Mayor and TFL have full control of all lines in London its a pity the opportunity was not taken to do this when the new Southern franchise was recently renewed.
PAYG is for single journeys for those who use a service regulary then season tickets are still the best value. However, train passengers need to know that Oyster cards can store different tickets on the one card. So you can have a season ticket and PAYG for different journies on the same ticket.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 24/11/2009 11:54
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Amongst all the excitement of the Oysterisation of Thames Clippers, the press don't seem to have noticed that for Travelcard holders, the cheapest single journey has now gone up from £2.80 (using the now defunct Unit Card ticket) to £3.55 - a whopping 27% increase. The Unit Card ticket allowed passengers to buy a book of ten tickets for £28.
Also, anyone with an annual Travelcard currently gets a free 'Network Gold Card' which gives a third off most off-peak fares in London and the south east. Does anyone know if this discount will apply automatically to the new Oyster pay as you go fares?
- Jan, London, UK, 24/11/2009 07:49
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I agree with Sadelsor in Hong Kong, their Octopus Card is a dream to use on all forms of transport and the MTR is fantastic. It makes London Underground look like a sewer.
- Brian Faulkner, Bridgwater UK, 24/11/2009 06:03
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Just a quick note for all the whinging Freedom Pass holders - YOU HAVE FREE TRAVEL!!!!!!!! Appreciate it, don't keep moaning that you can't travel until 930am - I hope when I retire I don't have to be using my pass before 930!!!
Cheer Up everyone, we don't know what real suffering is!
- Anon, United Kingdom, 23/11/2009 22:44
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Oh Great, now they will be able to track your movements even further. These are Spy Cards and have nothing to do with transport.
- V, London, 23/11/2009 19:24
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I got stung for £20 the other day when I had the misfortune to travel to New Malden by overground. I tapped in at Clapham Jct. and out at New Malden... but the barrier didn't open. Why? I'm not entirely sure... But there was certainly no warning anywhere that you couldn't use your oyster card...
The guard's attitude was "now you know"... ridiculous...
- Rob, Brixton, 23/11/2009 18:51
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Great news and about time too ..well done Boris and a very big cheer for Ken and everyone including Caroline Pidgeon,Lord Adonis and the patient commuters of London who have done so much to realise this dream.
Can we also now assume that the stupid rules covering restrictions on the Freedom Card use have also now been relegated to the dustbin of history ..or is there still another struggle ahead.
Terry McManus
- Terry Mcmanus, enfield, 23/11/2009 18:23
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I happened to catch Mayor Boris on LBC Radio this morning commenting to the media about Oyster coming to London Overground in the New Year. I was aghast when he said, in so many words, "I don't have anything to do with Overground Rail."
- Rob, SE London, 23/11/2009 18:01
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@ Frank 'Home Counties' - I'll be out for the Hong Kong 7's as well - it will be a great pleasure to finally meet you after all this time.
Up the workers!
- Jim, London, UK, 23/11/2009 17:24
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That Surbiton example is quite wrong. The author has compared the current Anytime (Peak) Single with an Offpeak single to get the amazing reduction. The correct comparison is that the current Offpeak return is £6.50, with PAYG passenger will need two £3.20 singles...
It has subsequently been explained by TfL that all the existing Joint NR/TfL fares on existing services are NOT switching to the new scales, they will remain as TfL fares...
Individual Train companies cannot 'set their own fares' within the zones. This was changed in Jan 2007, when there was a huge outcry as fares were brought into line across all the London TOCs...
The SWT card readers within the zones are Oyster readers. It is only outside the zones that they are different, ie ITSO compatible.
- Paul S, Hants, 23/11/2009 16:55
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I had always understood that Travelcards are on the way out. In central London they already don't make any sense, with daily price capping. I commute in Zone 1 and use pay-as-you-go only, it's cheaper. I expect this will in due course be true throughout Greater London.
- Baaz, London, UK, 23/11/2009 16:25
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WILL THERE BE ANY TRANSPORT SYSTEM TO TRAVEL ON WHEN THE TRADE UNIONS HAVE DONE THEIR BIT TO CLOSE EVERYTHING DOWN
- Alan Green, England. The forgotten country., 23/11/2009 16:05
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No change for those of us who commute from way outside the M25 I don't suppose. I can't imagine National Express East Anglia ever being able to 'do' Oyster.
- Lesley, Essex, 23/11/2009 15:42
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No change for those of us who commute from way outside the M25 I don't suppose. I can't imagine National Express East Anglia ever being able to 'do' Oyster.
- Lesley, Essex, 23/11/2009 15:42
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I work at a London Terminal station where a number of the Oyster Readers are incapable of reading a customer's Oyster travelcard. Heaven knows what Pay - As - You - Go is going to be like!
- Anon, London, 23/11/2009 15:23
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Wow...can't believe it's taken this long for the message to go public about Oyster acceptance.
We have known about this about 6 weeks prior to this press release!
- C.S.A For National Rail, London, 23/11/2009 15:06
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Does this include childrens' Oyster card (11-15 year old)?
- Patrice, london, 23/11/2009 14:47
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Cut fares by 30%.Why not mention that these cuts will be paid for by London tube and bus passangers with huge 18% increases.
- Dave, london, 23/11/2009 14:34
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It is a shame that it has taken so much time to get to this. I remember that we were sold the GLA hydrae with arguments like "integrated public transports".
We may be moving closer, but there is more to do, and so much pandering to private vested interest slows it down beyond exasperation.
Well done Boris, more please, and fast please.
- John-John, London, 23/11/2009 14:27
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@ Sadelsor, Hong Kong
I'll be out for the Hong Kong 7s, see you then!
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 23/11/2009 14:24
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there is no mention of the effect on the Freedom Pass. Does anyone know how this will work with the new station extension?
- Tony, london, 23/11/2009 14:08
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I see that Heathrow Connect is included on the Oyster map!
Any word on fares? What about Heathrow Express?
- Dan, United Kingdom, 23/11/2009 13:54
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Not sure about these Oyster Extension Permits? This must be something contrived by some of the TOCs.
I typically use an Oyster Z1 - Z4 Travelcard and keep a small cash reserve for PAYG. If I travel to Zones 5 or 6 the extension fare is automatically deducted (£1.10 each way). I've used this on c2c, though it is a, broadly, parallel service.
Agree with Sadelsor though. In Shanghai I can use my PTC on buses, the underground, some trains, cabs and road tolls too (and all at a fraction of London costs, but hey ho). I don't even have to touch the blooming readers either.
- Escobar A-Lop-Lop, Camden County, 23/11/2009 13:50
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Further to Roy and Tom's comments, I'm astonished that this article has no mention of Oyster Extension Permits. Travelcard holders wishing to go outside their zones will have to queue up at an Oyster machine/ticket stop (not the NR ticket office at their departure station) to load this free permit. The assertion that you can travel '“seamlessly” across the capital without the need for another ticket for a train journey' is simply untrue.
- Rich Thomas, London, 23/11/2009 13:50
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Good idea but I had a quick look at the new map and it's a bit confusing, too busy. Anyone else think so?
- Chris, London, 23/11/2009 13:27
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<i>[The extension of the system] means the farthest stop away from London passengers will be able to use their Oyster card will be Watford.</i>
Yes, indeed, the extension of the system doesn't change the farthest stop you can use your Oyster PAYG at, which remains Watford. Somewhat irrelevant, though. Or did you not realise that Watford was already part of the system?
- Abigail Brady, London, shockingly, 23/11/2009 13:06
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Great, except that most credit card companies are now rolling out "contactless" cards, which means that if they are kept in the same wallet as your Oyster, you will get lots of "Seek Assistance" bleeps when you try and use the tube.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 23/11/2009 13:03
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It's a scandal that this was not introduced when we first got cards.
- Charles, Kennington, 23/11/2009 12:59
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Hope Boris is going to employ more Tube and NR ticket sellers to deal with the complications and confusion this will cause... and make sure NR staff are fully trained on the oyster system...
- Mc, London, 23/11/2009 12:45
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Extension Permits will be a licence to penalty fare bet First capital Connect are ordering in extra books ready
- Mick, London, 23/11/2009 12:39
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Roy, er, Ken, erm Roy, whoever you really are:
"Ken would never have accepted such a ridiculous complication"
oh come now, this is said in jest surely? Ken sat there on his behind, not tackling this issue at all.
- Scotty, London, 23/11/2009 12:15
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About time really, should've been that way from the start.
- Luke, Putney, 23/11/2009 11:32
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come to Asia and see how it works, what took you so long, ??
- Sadelsor, Hong Kong, 23/11/2009 11:27
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Very welcome news for Londoners - it will make travelling across our vast metropolis a lot easier.
- Derek, London, 23/11/2009 11:26
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Excellent news, but has there been any mention of the fares?
Will Oyster PAYG on the railway cost the same as a single rail fare, or a will the zone fares be aligned with the tube, including the daily cap?
- Matstace, London, 23/11/2009 11:19
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Does this mean that my paper train ticket on South Eastern Trains can now be transferred to my Oyster pay as you go card?
- Ian Smith, London, 23/11/2009 11:15
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Pity that we cannot read the stations on the map
- R Wilson, Brentwood, 23/11/2009 11:08
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Why is Watford Junction still outside the zones whilst Watford tube station is zone 7 (and its further out)?
- Tony, uk, 23/11/2009 11:03
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Does that include South West Trains that have just installed card readers to read their own type of cards..?
- Rodders, Feltham SWTLand, 23/11/2009 10:56
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I think I can see what might go wrong - "Train operators will be able to set their own prices for journeys."
- Doug, London, 23/11/2009 10:41
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no doubt this will mean travelling in from Orpington on an Oyster card will be more expensive that the travel card I buy now!
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 23/11/2009 10:32
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Excellent news. At last, an integrated payment channel for Londoners using public transport.
- Peter M, London, UK, 23/11/2009 10:07
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Very welcome, but there are three drawbacks as implemented:
1) The existing Oyster-on-PAYG services north of the river move onto the new fare structure, which makes some trips cheaper but quite a lot of trips much more expensive, such as through trips into tube stations Zone 1 from some suburban National Rail stations.
2) There's an absurd division of Zone 1 into 'stations you can get to cheaply when starting from an NR station' and 'stations that charge you an extra £1.10 for the privilege of starting from an NR station'. As an example, Barnes->Waterloo is £1.10 less than Barnes->Oxford Circus, despite both being Z3-Z1 journeys, because Waterloo is a National Rail station.
3) Oyster Extension Permits - if you buy, say, a Z1-Z3 Travelcard for commuting use during the week and want to use the same Oyster card for a shopping trip Z3-Z4 at the weekend, you have to go to a place that sells Oyster and get an Oyster Extension Permit put on your card, otherwise your journey won't be legal even if you have credit on the card. If you *don't* have a Travelcard on your card and do the same Z3-Z4 trip, you can travel straightaway no problem. Now, try explaining that one. It'd actually be more convenient to use two cards, one for PAYG and the other for Travelcard.
So, a good day, but could have been so much better given that Boris had to double the bung on offer to the train companies to get them to sign up to even this not-as-good-as-it-should-be scheme.
- Tom, London, UK, 23/11/2009 10:00
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No mention, I see, of the ludicrous need to get an "Oyster Extension Permit" every time you want to use PAYG outside your zones if you already have a travelcard on your Oyster. Ken would never have accepted such a ridiculous complication.
Come on Boris, admit that you've royally messed this one up!
- Roy, England, 23/11/2009 09:41
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Well done to all concerned for bringing this in, a real and substantial improvement to the quality of life in London - not least the river transport which encourages London's greening.
- Squiz, Islington, 23/11/2009 09:41
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Finally! Thanks Boris, goodness knows why your predecessor didn't get this done during his eight years when it has taken you less than two!
- St, London, 23/11/2009 09:32
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"Train operators will be able to set their own prices for journeys." Seeing what the train companies have done with car park charges and anything else unregulated I'll be sticking with my trusty, regulated Season Ticket thanks very much.
- Paul, London, 23/11/2009 09:27
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