Skip to main content

UK rail system to get interoperable smartcards

ESP Group has been appointed by the UK’s Rail Settlement Plan to provide personalisation, encoding and fulfilment services for a major smartcard programme that will simplify travel for millions of passengers on the UK’s busiest train network. The company’s smartcard operation Systex will produce and issue a range of powerful contactless smart tokens for short and long term use that will include high capacity microprocessor cards, lower capacity smart tickets, wristbands, key fobs and accessories. The
January 8, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
ESP Group has been appointed by the UK’s Rail Settlement Plan to provide personalisation, encoding and fulfilment services for a major smartcard programme that will simplify travel for millions of passengers on the UK’s busiest train network.

The company’s smartcard operation Systex will produce and issue a range of powerful contactless smart tokens for short and long term use that will include high capacity microprocessor cards, lower capacity smart tickets, wristbands, key fobs and accessories.

The 1837 Department for Transport’s South East Flexible Ticketing programme (SEFT) will set the standard for interoperable rail travel across National Rail. This programme is the most complex implementation of a smart ticketing service to date in the UK and will eventually offer travellers the chance to travel within the region using a smart card which is valid across many individual train operators and modes of transport.

ESP Group CEO Terry Dunn commented: “We are delighted to be working with RSP to deliver smartcards for such a ground-breaking project. The powerful microprocessor smartcard platform at the core of the system provides future proofing through its capacity, flexibility and compatibility with mobile solutions.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mature solutions for emerging economies
    June 8, 2015
    Siemens’ Marcus Welz talks to David Crawford about suitable ITS solutions for emerging economies. Be bold in vision - and output - and user-oriented in practice,” Marcus Welz advises emerging economies planning ITS investments. Says the Siemens Group senior vice president and global sales director for ITS: “Their road users need better, more reliable and safer trips – but without costs increasing too much. The good news is that many countries are already tackling the big issues of traffic and the environmen
  • Jenoptik supplies sophisticated multi-section control project
    November 17, 2014
    Efficient speed enforcement in the most highly frequented tunnel in Austria on the A7 near Linz. The Bindermichl-Niedernhart tunnel complex on Austrian highway A7 connects the major east/west A1 route from Vienna/ Bratislava to Munich/Salzburg with the A7/ E55 running south from Prague in the Czech Republic. This happens right in the middle of the city of Linz, Austria.
  • Conduent sails along in north Italian lakes
    July 18, 2025
    Firm's EMV solution is one of the first for boat transportation in Italy
  • PPP helps speed Chicago’s transit fare upgrade
    December 15, 2014
    David Crawford on a fast-tracked payment upgrade. This July saw the completion of the final stage of the implementation of Chicago’s new Ventra open fare payment system on the services of two of the region’s three transit providers, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and regional bus operator Pace. Ventra has been introduced to accept any contactless general purpose payment card, including personal debit and credit cards.