GWR pay-as-you-go extended!
1 week ago
Train travel across Cornwall has just become smarter and simpler – with the GWR pay-as-you-go touch smartcard extended to the whole of the county and into Plymouth.
Customers can now tap in and out at any station between Penzance and Plymouth – including the Tamar Valley Line and all Cornish branch lines – using the smartcard, which automatically gives the best-value fares for their journey.
Register now for your Cornwall pay-as-you-go card
Great Western Railway and Cornwall Council first launched pay-as-you-go between Penzance and Par in 2023, with plans to extend the scheme to Plymouth as part of the Mid Cornwall Metro (MCM) programme.
With final engineering works now complete, MCM will pave the way for an hourly Newquay-Par service from next year – more than doubling current frequency – and later a direct Newquay-Falmouth connection via Par, St Austell and Truro.
MCM is funded by Government and Cornwall Council and being delivered by Network Rail in partnership with the council and GWR.
Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:
"Rail ticketing is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Backed by £49 million Government funding and supported by Cornwall Council, GWR is making journeys and buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible.
"The expansion of pay-as-you-go matches other major roll-outs of the technology up and down the country and comes as the government is delivering the biggest overhaul of the railways in a generation through the creation of Great British Railways.
"As part of our Plan for Change, we’re delivering straightforward, stress-free train travel across Britain, supporting passengers and boosting economic growth, jobs and homes."
Cornwall Council cabinet member for transport, Dan Rogerson, said:
“We want to help more residents to make the choice to use public transport in Cornwall. Extending the pay-as-you-go scheme shows that we’re continually striving to give residents access to the best value and most convenient ways to make that choice.
“Our partnership with GWR and Network Rail has brought many improvements to rail services across Cornwall over recent years and we’re seeing more passengers as a result. With Mid Cornwall Metro set to bring more services next year, there is a lot to look forward to.”
GWR Regional Development Manager for the West, David Whiteway, said:
“We first launched pay-as-you-go in West Cornwall in 2023 and we’re proud to have worked with Cornwall Council to now extend to the whole of the county and into Plymouth.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time for the region, with Mid Cornwall Metro set to deliver more frequent services, and direct trains between Falmouth and Newquay.
“This will be transformative for rail travel in the south-west and the extension of the pay-as-you-go network is all part of our mantra to make travelling with GWR a simpler, more accessible, experience.”
CrossCountry’s Regional Director covering West and Wales, Georgia Ehrmann, said:
“We’re pleased to support the next phase of the pay-as-you-go rollout in East Cornwall, helping to make rail travel even more convenient for customers across our Wales and West region.
“We look forward to further working with colleagues from across the rail industry and the local community to deliver smooth, swift, journeys across Cornwall.”
Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership Manager, Richard Burningham, said:
“We’re delighted that, thanks to the Mid Cornwall Metro project, led by Cornwall Council, tap in, tap out pay-as-you-go ticketing has been extended to cover the whole of Cornwall, with the extension to Plymouth and the Devon Tamar Valley Line stations, too.
“This offers people a new way of paying for their rail travel and is all about making things as easy as possible for passengers. A big step forward.”
Pay-as-you-go is valid on GWR and CrossCountry services between Penzance and Plymouth. It unlocks reduced Anytime Day Singles exclusive to pay-as-you-go smartcard users. The card enables passengers to get *best value on walk-up fares for the day of travel, plus Weekly Season ticket price capping applied to end-to-end journeys between two stations over a Monday to Sunday seven-day week.