Nexus, in partnership with Northern and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), has delivered the first roll-out of an integrated pay as you go ticketing product which connects the national railway network with local light rail services - following the introduction of Pop cards on the Northumberland Line.
The Pop Pay As You Go (PAYG) product is usable at each of the Northumberland Line’s new stations, making it the first live implementation of daily capped fares across heavy rail and light rail services using the existing ITSO technology.
The project has been delivered on behalf of North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, setting the blueprint for how the Mayor wants integrated fares to look in the future across the North East’s local rail services.
North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, said: “Our integrated fares, available through Pop Pay As You Go, offer North East passengers a simple and affordable way to travel using the Northumberland Line and Metro. I want to give people in the region the best opportunities and that includes better access to education, jobs and leisure through a simple and good value rail and Metro offer.
“Passengers using the Northumberland Line and Metro can also access our popular £1 fare for those 21 and under which is of course good news for young people and a step in the right direction. I hope to see the success of our integrated fares be rolled out across other local rail services in the North East, and we’re working hard behind the scenes to make this a reality.”
The task of delivering fare integration on the Northumberland Line, which saw passenger services return December, was led by Nexus and involved collaborative working across multiple train operators and their suppliers in order to ensure that customers get a seamless interchange with the Tyne and Wear Metro alongside traditional rail-only tickets.
It will mean 65 stations across rail and light rail will be within the Pop travel network once the Northumberland Line is complete, with interchange at both Newcastle and Northumberland Park on the route.
Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus, said: “We’ve put a huge amount of work into the fare integration on the Northumberland Line, and it’s delivered the first ever roll out of Pay As You Go on a stretch of the mainline railway network using the established and lower cost ITSO technology.
“It’s something that we’re really proud of and is an essential part of the ongoing success story of the Northumberland Line since it opened to the public in December.
“This is the first seamless intermodal travel between a light rail system and a heavy rail network in the UK. It allows customers to travel seamlessly between the Tyne and Wear Metro and the new Northumberland Line using Pop PAYG.
“By using established, low cost technologies, we have been able to make integrated fares easy and affordable for people who use the new line, and then connect in with Metro services for onward journeys. It’s another great boost for connectivity in our region.
“We’ve worked closely with Northern, the Rail Delivery Group and others, including our local authority partners, to create good value integrated fares for multi-modal journeys on the Northumberland Line using our Pop Pay As You Go payment system.
“Customers will need to simply tap in and tap out on each journey to ensure that they are charged the correct fare. The cheapest combined fare will then be deducted.”
Jason Wade, Northern regional director in the North East, said: “We’re delighted that Nexus has introduced Pop Pay As You Go tickets on the Northumberland Line.
“The tap in technology allows customers to easily switch between our trains and Tyne and Wear Metro services, while ensuring they always get the best price for their journey.
“We’re confident this will benefit locals who have made more than 150,000 journeys on the new train line since it opened in December, using our services to travel for work, education and days out.”
Jacqueline Starr, Executive Chair and Chief Executive of Rail Delivery Group, said: "It’s great to see the railway network expanding and connecting more people in the North-East.
“The Pop Pay As You Go ticketing on the Northumberland Line works seamlessly with the local Tyne and Wear Metro, simplifying travel and offering greater convenience for our customers. We’re proud that this is the first place in the North of England to introduce Pay As You Go ticketing on National Rail services.”
Northumberland Line customers can tap in at either a station validator or at an automatic ticket gate when starting their journey, and tap out at their destination, just like existing Pop card users.
Customers with pre-paid Metro season tickets loaded to a Pop card can also add a Northumberland Line season ticket to their card.
The technology behind the Pop card means that the cheapest combined fare is deducted – helping customers ensure that they’re getting the best price for their journey, applying a daily cap if they have made several trips.
A new map of the larger Pop card area shows stations at Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington, and Ashington added onto the familiar Tyne and Wear Metro network, with the creation of a new ‘zone D’ for the most northerly of those stations.
Northumberland Line users can also buy standalone Northern Rail tickets that can only be used on that line, which also connects to Northumberland Park and Newcastle Central Station, also starting at £1 for young people and priced at less than £3 for an off-peak single fare from Ashington to Newcastle.
The Northumberland Line will deliver six new accessible stations, a half hourly service and 35-minute end to end journey time – benefiting not just those who live along or near the line – but bringing a huge regional boost in terms of travel and access to jobs, housing and education.
The £298.5m project involves a number of key partners including Northumberland County Council, the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Northern Trains LNER, and the North East Combined Authority.