Train travel across Cornwall and into Plymouth has become simpler and more flexible with the full rollout of the Great Western Railway (GWR) pay-as-you-go smartcard. Passengers can now tap in and out at any station between Penzance and Plymouth—including the Tamar Valley Line and all Cornish branch lines—automatically receiving the best-value fares for their journey.

The pay-as-you-go scheme was first introduced between Penzance and Par in 2023 and has now been extended as part of the Mid Cornwall Metro (MCM) programme. With final engineering works completed, MCM will also deliver an hourly Newquay–Par service from next year—more than doubling the current frequency—and a later direct connection between Newquay and Falmouth via Par, St Austell, and Truro. The project is jointly funded by the Government and Cornwall Council and 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.”

David Whiteway, GWR Regional Development Manager for the West, added:

“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 for 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 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.”

Richard Burningham, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership Manager, commented:

“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.”

The smartcard works on GWR and CrossCountry services between Penzance and Plymouth. It offers reduced Anytime Day Singles exclusive to pay-as-you-go users, as well as best-value walk-up fares on the day of travel. Weekly season ticket price capping is also applied to end-to-end journeys between two stations over a Monday-to-Sunday seven-day week.

Image: Great Western Railway