Oyster rolls out on river and rail

Mayor of London Boris Johnson and transport secretary Andrew Adonis made the joint announcement this morning at Balham station, where a limited trail of the upcoming rail system is currently taking place on the route to London Victoria.

The integration of the Thames Clippers into the pay-as-you-go card scheme was announced by the Mayor in April. Negotiations on the inclusion of the rail network have been on-and-off for several years, as both sides tried to resolve concerns over ticket price control and equipment upgrades.

From January 2, Oyster will be accepted on all Greater London services operated by Chiltern, National Express East Anglia, London Midland, First Great Western, First Capital Connect, Southern, Southeastern and South West Trains. It will be available at all of London's 350 national rail stations.

Transport secretary Andrew Adonis hopes the scheme can stretch further, and called for "smart ticketing on all modes of public transport in England as quickly as possible".

He said: "If we are to encourage more people onto public transport we must make it as easy and convenient to use as possible. That is exactly what Oyster has done in London and why extending pay as you go to rail services is so important."

Mayor Boris Johnson claimed the Oyster card will soon "be the only ticket Londoners need to get around town".

He said: "It has ended the crackers situation of Londoners not being able to use Oyster on every commuter route in the capital. And our glorious new map that reveals the unbelievable reach of Oyster truly hammers home that this is a landmark day for Londoners."

TfL has invested £40million on the installation or upgrading of equipment at every train station in the capital. The system will be based on a zone system, but fares will differ from those on TfL services. A combined fare will be in place for combined TfL and National Rail journeys.

On the river, Oyster users will receive a 10 per cent discount on their fare, and those with a Travelcard installed on their card will receive the existing discount of one third.

Sean Collins, managing director of Thames Clippers, said, "The introduction of pay-as-you-go Oyster on board Thames Clippers boats will ensure a more accessible as well as frequent and enjoyable alternative to other forms of public transport making it easier for commuters and tourists alike to utilise the service."

The Thames Clipper service is operated by AEG, which sees the river as a handy method of access to The O2 arena. It also links destinations such as London Bridge to South East London via stops such as Greenwich Pier.

Greenwich Council campaigned for the introduction of Oyster on the river earlier this year, with a petition that received over 1,000 signatures. Deputy council leader Peter Brooks described the introduction of the card as "tremendous".