New rule change that blocks Brits from buying digital train tickets officially rolls out – don’t get caught out

PASSENGERS have been warned they may be blocked from buying digital railway tickets under a new rule. The country’s biggest rail operator has introduced the major change in an effort to stop fare evasion. Passengers will no longer be able to scan digital tickets at certain station barriers Credit: Alamy Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) has launched a three-month ticketing trial where digital train tickets will no longer be sold from major railway hubs. The operator, which controls Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services, introduced the programme last week in an attempt to prevent passengers from using methods of fraud known as “short faring” and “quick scanning”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! With the “short- faring” method, travellers may purchase tickets for the last section of their journey, saving them the full ticket cost. While “quick scanning” refers to passengers quickly purchasing a digital ticket if an inspector arrives, or if the barriers at their destination are closed. Under the change, customers will now be required to collect their ticket from a ticket office or machine at the station, rather than receiving a standard QR code. GTR also chose not to disclose which stations the new rule would affect, in order to prevent fare evasion later down the line. Stephen MacCallaugh, head of revenue protection at GTR, told The Times: “It is only fair that everyone travelling on our railway pays the right fare, and as the UK’s largest train operator in public ownership, reducing fare evasion and the taxpayer’s subsidy on the railway is crucial to our success. “This trial is one of several initiatives we’re exploring to reduce fare evasion while making sure genuine customers can still buy tickets easily and conveniently.” Most read in The Sun This comes as another operator, South Western Railways, introduced similar measures in order to crack down on the scams, with some customers forced to repay thousands of pounds after being caught. In June, the operator blocked the purchase of digital tickets between Vauxhall and Waterloo, after data revealed up to 95 per cent of them were being used unlawfully. Costing the industry up to £400million a year, the government also announced a host of measures over the last few months to tackle evasion. Comment now