Shares in Trainline PLC (LSE:TRN) fell 6% on Monday after comments from the Transport Secretary about reforming railway ticketing.
Heidi Alexander will make a speech today about the priorities of the UK’s new publicly-owned rail company, Great British Railways (GBR), the i paper reported.
Reforms of ticketing and fares are some of her key priorities for GBR, expanding the pay-as-you-go system.
There have already been new stations using the PAYG system for commuters into London from the south-east of England, but a source told the newspaper that Alexander plans to roll the contactless travel elsewhere further into the UK by the end of the year.
Alexander's speech to the Department for Transport Operator’s conference will make clear her thinking that public ownership of railways "will help better manage capacity, reduce costs and increase taxpayer value, [but] was never going to be a silver bullet".
Improving the passenger experience, the Transport Secretary will say, is about "ending the blame game and maximising social and environmental good".
She wants to "move faster on reforming fares and ticketing", meaning developing "the best price guarantee, more trials of pay as you go, and new ways to drive up revenue".
She also wants to improve innovation and "partner with world-leading innovators, particularly around AI, to create a better passenger experience and greater efficiency",