After a four-and-a-bit month delay caused by the cyber security incident, phase 1b of project oval has gone live today. This extends contactless PAYG (but not Oyster) to Bletchley, St Albans Abbey, Shoeburyness, Sevenoaks, Shepperton, Virginia Water and Windsor & Eton Riverside.
The new stations are all included in the fare finder, but the time allowed for a journey and the daily cap details will follow shortly.
It’s worth noting that there is still a gap on SWR between Virginia Water and Reading and contactless PAYG is not valid between those stations, even if you are travelling the whole way. Sevenoaks is, however, valid either via Otford or Dunton Green.
Update 05/02/25: Caps have now been added for all new stations. Still waiting for the journey times from TfL.
I’ve just submitted comments/questions under https://oysterfares.com/topic/project-oval-payg-expansion/
Phase 1 is complete at last – only took an extra 2 years beyond the original timescale* to get there! (And 14 months after super off-peak tickets for the associated flows were removed)
Won’t be too long until attention shifts to what one may label the “Stansted phase” (Phase 2A) of contactless PAYG expansion, particularly when the planned go-live date becomes more specific than just 2025. Or pushed back to next year.
[* https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/tfl-to-expand-contactless-payments-outside-london-54582/ ]
My colleague at Sevenoaks Rail Travellers’ Association has found that capping does apply to the new stations. He unearthed the information on the National Rail website at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-and-offers/buying-a-ticket/pay-as-you-go-with-contactless/
This links to a PDF giving the caps at https://assets.nationalrail.co.uk/e8xgegruud3g/7g3e1h63SZzy4a6E9zc7t1/269b6c8be38e09d43891b322d16e09a9/Pay_as_you_go_with_contactless_caps_Feb_2025.pdf
Thanks John,
That Pdf doesn’t include caps from the GWR branches (sigh).
I didn’t say that Sevenoaks wouldn’t cap, just that I haven’t had time to set it up yet. I’ll be updating the data shortly.
The fare finder doesn’t work. I entered Ashford to Dartford and it told me no fares found.
It works:
I’ve got £19.00 peak, £13.00 off-peak, £13.70 peak avoiding zone 1, £9.20 off-peak avoiding zone 1.
Remember that contactless fares are only shown if Adult is selected as the type.
Also, is there an OSI between the Windsor stations and the St Albans stations?
Slough – Windsor: £1.80
Windsor – Staines: £3.40
Slough – Staines: £10.60
Watford Junction – St Albans: £3.60
St Albans – Luton Airport Parkway: £4.20
Watford J – Luton AP: £12.00 (avoid zone 1) / £14.90 (Euston-St Pancras OSI) / £17.00 (using the tube in zone 1)
(for simplicity, only off-peak fares given)
In other words, no, but it is worth treating them as OSIs rather than staying in the system and taking a longer route for cost reasons as well as speed!
It doesn’t look like they have been set up at the moment.
The fares from GWR stations to SWR Windsor and Eton Riverside look odd, especially when compared to the fares to GWR Windsor and Eton Central. Here are the peak single fares showing on the fare finder:
Twyford -> Windsor and Eton Central – £5.10
Twyford -> Windsor and Eton Riverside – £15.90
Marlow -> Windsor and Eton Central – £5.20
Marlow-> Windsor and Eton Riverside – £5.10
Maidenhead -> Windsor and Eton Central – £3.50
Maidenhead -> Windsor and Eton Riverside – £3.40
Slough -> Windsor and Eton Central – £2.30
Slough -> Windsor and Eton Riverside – £2.30
What route are TfL expecting you to take to Windsor and Eton Riverside? Go to Central and walk? Or go Paddington, underground to Waterloo, and then catch an SWR train?
Hi Graham,
I’m not sure. There are quite a few anomalies that people have found so far. I also don’t know who is responsible for setting up the fares between different TOCs. It could be SWR or GWR in this case. Perhaps try contacting both of them and see what they say.
Having looked at (some of) the fares from Eynsford, Lewisham seems to be an anomaly, cheaper than zone 3 NR stations with direct trains. £7.60 peak / £4.00 off peak vs Catford at £8.80 / £4.70 and Herne Hill at £9.20 / £4.70. Brixton is also also £9.00 / £4.70, when New Cross is £9.20 / £4.70 and Peckham Rye £9.20 / £4.90.
Another oddity.
Dunton Green to Sydenham Hill is £7 off-peak, yet one station further down at West Dulwich is £6.40! Both stations are in Zone 3.
Dunton Green to Lewisham (Z 2/3) is £5.10 off-peak.
I think Southeastern need to answer some questions. If anyone gets any answers before I have a chance (I’m snowed under at the moment) then please feel free to post here.
Just looking at a journey from Windsor & Eton Riverside to Hammersmith LU (District) and it’s coming up with an anomaly.
Avoiding Zone 1 the contactless through fares are
Peak : £12.40 / Off Peak: £9.00
However paying separate fares from Windsor to Richmond and Richmond to Hammersmith is coming up cheaper
Windsor & Eton Riverside – Richmond: Peak : £9.50 / Off Peak: £6.50
Richmond – Hammersmith: Peak: £2.80 / Off Peak: £1.90
That’s a total of Peak: £12.30 / Off Peak: £8.40
Not such a big difference at peak, but a large one off-peak.
Any ideas why?