Written question asked by Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 20 April 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. It was answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Railways: Fares

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) timeline, and (2) key milestones, of the changes to passenger rail fares, including integrated contactless ticketing in city regions, as set out in Better Connected: a strategy for integrated transport, published on 2 April.

Answer: The Government is working with mayoral combined authorities and local partners to implement improvements to passenger fares and ticketing, with work accelerated in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. With initial delivery of schemes in the West Midlands by spring 2027, and Manchester later this year. We are also exploring options for further improvement with smarter ticketing to passengers in the North and East Midlands, with cutting-edge digital trials.

Secondary information