Passengers across the South East of England will be able to benefit from 'tap-in-tap-out' ticketing payment options at rail stations by the end of the year.

New systems will be rolled out across 53 stations which will allow commuters to use bank cards or smart devices to go through ticket barriers.

This will stop the need for pre-booking or queueing at ticket machines, whilst also allowing people to get the lowest price fare at the time of travel.

An additional benefit is that passengers reduce their risk of being fined if they touched their card on a Transport for London network station before ending their journey at a non-TfL station that does not allow commuters to tap out.

What South East rail stations will have the 'tap-in' technology

The stations that will have the new technology are located across Kent, Essex, Greater London, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

A full list of locations can be seen on the interactive map below:

On the Government website, it states: "Pay As You Go ticketing will be available at all of these stations by the end of December 2023 with individual openings dependent on the amount of existing technology at the stations.

"Further information on when each station will be introducing this will be available at each station."

Transport Minister Huw Merriman spoke about the scheme and said: "One of the best ways to get more people using our railways is to make journeys as simple, flexible and convenient as possible and the government’s programme for rail reform prioritises exactly that.

"By removing the stress of finding the best deal in advance or having the right ticket ready to go at the barriers, the extension of tap-in tap-out ticketing is the next step of our plan for rail reform and we’re working towards Pay As You Go being rolled out beyond the South East through the Midlands and up to the North."