Northern Rail passengers are expected to benefit from simplified ticketing as the government announced the roll out of digital trails that it says will remove the need to pre book tickets.

The Department for Transport (DfT) stated those who try the apps will get £15 worth of free travel and that the system should make it as easy as hoping onto a train and pressing a button on your phone.  

Your phone is said to be able to register when you get off the train automatically, and passengers are expected to be charged the lowest possible fare at the end of the day.   

Passengers will also receive a unique barcode to be used for ticket inspections and access through barriers that will pop up within app ready to be scanned.

Former CILT(UK) President and present Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: “We’re bringing ticketing into the 21st century. These trials are modernising fares and ticketing, making it simpler and easier for people to choose rail.”

“As part of our Plan for Change, we’re delivering straightforward, stress-free train travel across the North, supporting passengers and boosting economic growth, jobs and homes.”

According the DfT passengers taking part in East Midlands Rail’s trial of the technology said it made train travel feel ‘simple and trustworthy.’

 Another added that it meant ‘little to no worrying about being overcharged’, which was a ‘big shift from how I normally feel about train transport, which can sometimes feel complicated or inconvenient’.

Both the Mayor’s of York and North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire have also praised the trails describing it as a step in the right direction.

Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director at Northern, added: “We’re proud to be at the forefront of simplifying rail travel for our customers in the North.

“These trials mark a significant step forward in making train journeys simpler, smarter and more flexible, whether for work, leisure or everyday journeys.”