Return train tickets could soon be a thing of the past.
It comes as part of a major railway shake up which could also see paper tickets phased out for QR codes. In reforms expected to be announced this week, two-way tickets, which often work out slightly cheaper, may no longer be available.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper is expected to unveil the reforms in a speech on Tuesday, where he will outline plans for 'Great British Railways' - a new public body which will merge the way train services and tickets and timetabling are operated. If the change is confirmed, passengers will be forced to buy two singles for the same price instead, reported The Mirror.
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Part of the overhaul could spell the end for printed tickets, with reports Mr Harper plans to begin a transition to digital tickets and contactless travel cards similar to London's Oyster cards instead. Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan told MPs in October that the Government had axed its plan to introduce a Transport Bill during the current parliamentary session because legislation to deal with the energy crisis was being prioritised.
The now-axed Bill included plans to bring in Great British Railways (GBR), absorbing state-owned Network Rail which manages rail infrastructure, and issuing contracts to private companies to run trains, The Telegraph reports. The body was due to begin operating in early 2024 but that timetable has been scrapped.
GBR was a policy first tabled by former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who claimed it will focus on “bringing everything together and running a much more efficient service for passengers”. The proposals come amidst a crisis point for British rail, with figures for December showing that even without strikes, nearly one in every 12 services was cancelled.
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