Innovative rail ticket technology trial expands across the North

Rail passengers in South Yorkshire can now join hundreds across England in trialling new digital ticketing technology.

From today (3 November 2025), people going between Sheffield and Doncaster can take advantage of simpler and more flexible ticket options when they travel on Northern rail services.

More than 2,000 journeys and counting have already been made under similar trials on East Midlands Railway and Northern services, which both launched in September 2025.

Digital ticketing trials allow passengers to check in and check out seamlessly on rail journeys, using a location-identifying app on their phone. The app tracks journeys using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology and then automatically charges participants at the end of the day. For ticket inspections and to go through ticket barriers, a unique bar code will pop up in the app to be scanned.

This technology replaces the need for paper tickets or more commonly used mobile tickets bought online or in-app ahead of journeys. Doing away with the need to plan and book travel in advance, the app tracks which trains passengers take, detecting when they have left the rail network.

The latest trial comes as the government is delivering the biggest overhaul of the railways in a generation through the creation of Great British Railways, which will help to deliver better services for passengers and simpler fares across the network.

Thanks to government backing, passengers taking part in the trial will get £15 worth of free travel, with credit automatically added to their account.

The scheme makes it easier for people to choose rail and guarantees the best value travel on the day for full fare paying adults, boosting travel opportunities for communities as part of the Plan for Change.

Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:

The railway ticketing system is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Through these trials, we’re doing just that and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible.

As part of our Plan for Change, we’re delivering straightforward, stress-free train travel across the North, supporting passengers and boosting economic growth, jobs and homes.

In a further boost for train users in the North, another trial of the technology will launch on the Sheffield to Barnsley route run by Northern on 1 December 2025.

Passengers taking part in Northern’s first trial of the technology have described the technology as ‘easy to install…and simple to use’, while others have said it is ‘much better than the chore of buying tickets in advance’.

Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director at Northern, said:

We’re proud to be at the forefront of modernising rail travel in the North. The success of the first trial has shown that passengers value the simplicity and flexibility that technology brings.

This second trial is an exciting next step and we’re excited to offer customers in that area a smarter, easier way to travel. This is about removing barriers and making rail the obvious choice for everyday journeys.

Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, said:

It’s encouraging to see new technology being trialled to make rail travel easier for us all here in South Yorkshire. We know ticketing can be a barrier, especially for people who don’t travel often, so anything that helps make the system more straightforward to use is a step in the right direction.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on how this trial works for passengers. If it helps break down barriers and makes rail more accessible for everyone, then it’s something we’ll want to build on.

Backed by nearly £1 million of government funding, the trials are part of plans to modernise our transport system, putting passenger experience at the heart of every journey and encouraging more people to take the train – building on the government’s mission to deliver growth.