Greater Anglia has confirmed that the planned rollout of pay-as-you-go contactless travel to 20 additional stations will be pushed back to summer 2026. The expansion, announced only last month, was due to enhance convenience for passengers across the network, including those travelling via Stansted Airport.

The delay follows detailed testing which revealed issues that could have affected payments and journey accuracy if the system had launched as planned. For pay-as-you-go to function correctly across Greater Anglia services, fares must be fully integrated with Transport for London’s pricing system. The operator says more work is now required to ensure that integration is seamless and dependable.

Despite the postponement, the new fares that underpin the contactless expansion will still go live on 7 December, keeping the groundwork in place for the wider launch once technical work is completed. A revised rollout date is expected to be confirmed closer to the time.

Martin Beable, Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, acknowledged the setback.

“We understand how frustrating it is when improvements like this are delayed, and I am very sorry for the disappointment this will cause some of our customers. It is essential, however, that contactless ticketing works reliably from day one. Our teams are working closely with our partners to complete this work as quickly as possible, and we remain committed to introducing contactless ticketing across these additional stations by summer 2026.”

The operator has apologised for any inconvenience caused, thanking customers for their patience while work continues to ensure the technology performs as expected once introduced.

Image: Greater Anglia