Rail passengers in the Southeast can now save time by using smartcards in place of paper tickets across the Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Southeastern networks.
Holders of a GTR’s ‘Key Smartcard’ could only use them at Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern-managed stations and those inside London. However, they can now tap in and out across the entire Southeastern network in Kent.
This is particularly helpful for Thameslink passengers travelling beyond Swanley to Sevenoaks and beyond Dartford, to Rainham.
Southern passengers on the Redhill line can also now use the GTR Key Smartcard at Tonbridge station.
In return, Southeastern ‘Key Smartcard’ holders can travel to and from stations across the GTR network, managed by Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern, such as Brighton, Gatwick, Luton Airport Parkway and Cambridge.
Key Smartcard benefits for passengers, compared to travelling with a paper ticket include:
- time-saving: no queues at the ticket office and a simple tap in, tap out to speed journeys;
- more secure: lost smartcards can be instantly cancelled and replaced;
- automatically-generated Delay Repay claims: submitted with just a click of a button (on GTR Key Smartcard only*)
Both operators have prize draws offering Key Smartcard holders the opportunity to win back the value of their season ticket.
What did the officials say?
Thameslink Customer Services Director Jenny Saunders said:
“The expansion of our Key Smartcard across all of Kent at Southeastern stations gives passengers a smarter, easier way to travel. This will be particularly helpful for people travelling on Thameslink trains beyond Swanley, via Eynsford to Sevenoaks, and beyond Dartford, to Rainham.
“The Key is quicker than a paper ticket, more secure and the GTR version enables automatically-generated delay compensation claims. I’m delighted it can now be used on our services across both networks.”
Southeastern Head of Retail John Backway said:
“We’re always wanting to make journeys easier, and using The Key is as simple as tapping in at the beginning of a journey and tapping out at the end. It offers passengers with an old-fashioned paper season ticket the opportunity to switch, knowing that their tickets are safe and secure.
“You can register and switch to the Key at any staffed Southeastern station with ease, with validity across the Southeastern, Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern networks – particularly for our passengers who change between Southeastern and GTR services or either or both at places like Ashford, Hastings, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and many others.”
Chairman of Sevenoaks Rail Travellers’ Association Cllr Tony Clayton said:
“We welcome this as an essential step towards integrated and automated ticketing across Southern, Southeastern, and Thameslink which should make life simpler for many commuters. Making the smart ticket systems work across franchise boundaries really helps rail users.
“We also welcome the recognition by the companies that this is not the final destination and that there’s more to do to deliver an automated fare system which users understand and which charges the right fare for everyone.”
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