Oyster Coming To Mainline Trains

[Metroland]

Oyster cards will soon be accepted on all mainline trains, or at least they will if Boris gets his way. This first steps were taken yesterday when the mayor signed an agreement with First Great Western, who will implement Oyster on all of their London trains as of September. It will certainly be more convenient, but the real bonus comes in the fact that the reduce rates offered on buses and the Tube will now be extended to the participating trains. This will also lead to an upgrade at participating stations, which will need to be outfitted with Oyster equipment to the tune of £40million (which will hopefully be made up participating trains and not in a fare hike). Boris will continue meeting with companies in a quest for total fare card synergy.

http://londonist.com/2008/05/oyster_coming_t.php

 

[Guinness]

Are we talking Stations such as Bristol, Swindon, Cardiff or just stations as only far away as Reading (old TT Routes)?

 

[Mojo]

Are we talking Stations such as Bristol, Swindon, Cardiff or just stations as only far away as Reading (old TT Routes)?

From the GLA website; it will be at the following stations

West Drayton, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Acton Main Line, South Greenford, Castle Bar Park and Drayton Green.

 

[Guinness]

From the GLA website; it will be at the following stations

Cheers

 

[will1337]

It'd be rather annoying if all stations throughout the country used Oyster especially with peak/off peak that it has, any journey between 0700-1900 would cost the SDS.

 

[Gizmogle]

Apparently this has been confirmed already and will be valid on FGW within LU zones.

 

[5872]

It'd be rather annoying if all stations throughout the country used Oyster especially with peak/off peak that it has, any journey between 0700-1900 would cost the SDS.

I think it will just be stations within the zones, I'm happy with it, shame its not free travel on trains aswell, That would be swell

 

[Gizmogle]

It'd be rather annoying if all stations throughout the country used Oyster especially with peak/off peak that it has, any journey between 0700-1900 would cost the SDS.

No one would have enough money on their Oyster! Plus it would cost too much for all the Oyster facilities throughout the country.

Oh, and just imagine doing a London to Bristol on Oyster and forgetting to tap out correctly! Ch-Ching!

 

[me123]

They're thinking about it in the Glasgow Area: Due to the density of stations in the SPT network, it would be a perfect location.

Anyway:

Are we talking Stations such as Bristol, Swindon, Cardiff or just stations as only far away as Reading (old TT Routes)?

Top-up fares from Cardiff: who'd put that much on the card anyway?

 

[will1337]

To quoters, duh! I believe Oyster has a £90 max anyway.

 

[Gizmogle]

I wouldn't know. Never had more than £10 on my Oyster

 

[me123]

To quoter's annoyers; I did know that they weren't going out to the West, just making a small point.

 

[will1337]

Z1-6 are going to be all Oyster for rail as well I believe?

 

[5872]

Z1-6 are going to be all Oyster for rail as well I believe?

Yep, Including Hounslow and Kingston.

 

[Gizmogle]

I thought it was just FGW.

SWT won't take PAYG Oyster. They make that very clear. I don't see them changing that.

 

[will1337]

They won't and it was Ken who planned to put z1-6 rail under TFL control, whoops good job Londoners who voted Boris.

 

[djw1981]

They're thinking about it in the Glasgow Area: Due to the density of stations in the SPT network, it would be a perfect location.

Anyway:

No they are no, they are looking an ITSO compliant card (which Oyster is not)...it has several major technical differences.

 

[me123]

Well, I saw somewhere it was Oyster, probably just a comparison to the Oyster scheme or another tabloid got it wrong. :? So, how exactly do these ITSO cards work?

 

[djw1981]

An Oyster an only be touched twice in a journey. An ITSO card is more secure - without going into the complexities which I understand not, but basically an ITSO card will be able to differentiate between free bus travel and discounted rail travel etc. ITSo is just a standard of security and such like. The Scottish Concessionary Travel Cards are ITSo compliant cards.

To quote from somewhere else on the web "Oyster is not ITSO compatible, but South West Trains have opted for a system which is Oyster compatible, and meets ITSO requirements.."

Oyster is however moving to become ITSO compliant. http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/scienceresearch/otherresearch/itsooysterinteroperability

All ITSO compliant cards should eventually be interoperable.

Roger Ford summed it up in Modern Railways as

Naturally, ITSO is much more ambitious than Oyster. Its aim is to provide a common smartcard for use by all transport operators throughout the UK and, particularly, within and between the Passenger Transport Executives.

Currently, there are three ITSO schemes, for Scotland, Cheshire and Merseytravel. The two English authorities have systems installed but are waiting for the security keys for which Royal Bank of Scotland are the provider. Being on the spot, Scotland has got the keys from RBS, but the ITSO system is only part complete.

He also revisited the topic earlier this year but that copy has now gone for recycling,......

 

[me123]

So for the traveller, the system's not much different than an Oyster scheme, ie you pay/topup, you tap in and you tap out again and it takes the fare from the card?

 

[djw1981]

Yes... but it may also pay your library fines, be your licence to use government services etc as there can be more than one service on it, and each can only access its own info.

 

[me123]

Yes... but it may also pay your library fines, be your licence to use government services etc as there can be more than one service on it, and each can only access its own info.

Ahh, thanks. It does sound better than the Oyster system, and having all these services available on a single card would be useful. I can imagine, though, it's easier for scatterbrains like me to lose them

 

[djw1981]

There is a thing known as a wallet........

 

[will1337]

Cash for tickets available as singles/day capped, are you mad.......

 

[yorkie]

Oh, and just imagine doing a London to Bristol on Oyster and forgetting to tap out correctly! Ch-Ching!

Naa, I'd be more worried about a short hop and being charged the ching for a SOS from Wick to Penzance

 

[will1337]

Heh, was thinking just that yorkie

 

[me123]

There is a thing known as a wallet........

Got one, oddly enough. I once lost my railcard and was about to call Scotrail or someone to see if someone had found it, then I looked in my pocket... :roll:

 

[djw1981]

Quite worrying if a scatterbrain can get into uni.,..

 

[me123]

I'm better with my work and education... honestly...

 

[Andrew Tiffin]

Will it work on Southeastern services?