COMMUTERS using Greater Anglia rail services can now buy Smart Card tickets.

The rail operator is the first to offer Smart Card tickets rather than traditional paper tickets.

Customers will simply have to touch the Smart Card season ticket on a reader at ticket gates.

The new system also eliminates the need to queue at the ticket office to buy a season ticket as it can be purchased online before being loaded onto a Smart card.

The tickets are available for commuters using Greater Anglia services such as the Southend Victoria lines to Liverpool Street and routes from Shenfield and Chelmsford to London.

Upgrading is free and can be done when the season ticket is renewed or swapped if it has at least 30 days.

Jamie Burles, Managing Director, Greater Anglia said: “We’re excited to be at the forefront of the South East Flexible Ticket programme, working with our partners at the Department for Transport, in pioneering more convenient and integrated ticket products for rail commuters travelling with Greater Anglia.”

Visit greateranglia.co.uk/smart for more details.