Overview
- Dozens of southeast stations joined DfT’s Project Oval on December 14, aligning pay‑as‑you‑go fares with TfL’s contactless structure.
- Reclassification of some services from off‑peak to peak has raised prices, with Reigate’s first off‑peak weekday London train moving from 8:58am to 9:28am and new 4pm–7pm restrictions reported.
- Railfuture says contactless can cost up to twice as much as paper on some trips because railcard and child discounts cannot be applied to taps.
- A cited example shows a Luton family of four paying £84 using contactless versus £41.70 with a Thameslink Groupsave paper ticket, as some super off‑peak options have been removed.
- GTR and the DfT defend the changes as simpler and not revenue‑driven, noting examples of lower prices for certain Reigate journeys even as MPs and user groups urge fixes and clearer communication.