London Transit: 100% Oyster In 2010
Helen YoungLondon transit passengers are set to benefit from an improved fee plan.
It emerged today that the proposal to extend the use of Oyster cards on all national rail stations in the British capital has been approved and will see some fares being cut by more than 33%.
Mayor Boris Johnson, following a £40 million investment and years of discussions with train operating companies, has finally claimed that an agreement has been reached that will allow London commuters access to all Network Rail stations as well as the bus and Tube networks no later than January 2, 2010.
The scheme is said to provide reduced journey fares as London commuter won’t need a separate ticket for Overground use. Long journeys will experience the greatest savings.
For example, the price of a transit ride between Surbiton in Zone 6 and Waterloo during the off-peak period will fall from £5 to £3.20. Travelling from London Bridge in Zone 1 to East Croydon in Zone 5 will slide from £4.40 to £2.60, which represents approximately a 40% drop.
Smaller transit trips such as a journey from Lewisham in Zone 1 to Charing Cross will be set at £1.70 during off-peak hours and £2.10 at peak time compared with the current £2.40.
Even if the rides will get more affordable, more money might be generated as rail operators are expecting a jump in commuter numbers.
Mayor Johnson branded the move a ‘landmark’.
According to him, a great deal of negotiations had been necessary in order to finally announce that the London commuter rail services will be fully the Oysterised in the new year.
The news also reveals that the urban rail Oyster paying system associated with Thames River services, now part of the scheme, will create a completely unique and all encompassing ticketing plan, seeing bus, rail base and water based travel covered.
The extension of Oyster system will soon cover all routes of commuter rail within the Greater London area. South and north-east London commuters are said to be the ones who will benefit the most form the deal.
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Filed under Travel News, UK News