Rail 200 past and present: what's our next destination?

Rail 200 and the future: a springboard for the future of public transport and mobility

When station master Thomas Edmondson first devised the idea of a small, numbered card to record train passengers’ fares in the 1840s, he was regarded as a visionary. The new system replaced previous handwritten paper tickets and made it easier for operators to record income and details of who was travelling when, and to where. Surprisingly the cardboard ticket he launched on the Manchester and Leeds Railway remained the standard customer proof of travel for more than a century. It was only the mid-1960s arrival of electronic ticket machines, self-service kiosks and magnetic stripe tickets that his version of the modern-day data collection system began to be questioned.

Perfect customer experience

Even so his initial concept of allowing customers to travel seamlessly between operators remains as relevant today as ever and is fundamental to Worldline’s continuous quest for the optimum customer experience. Online platforms, mobile ticketing apps, QR codes and smartcard systems such as London's Oyster have moved us further away from Thomas’s model. Tap-in contactless payments that let passengers use bank cards or smartphones directly for travel are becoming the rule rather than the exception. The advent of AI will only accelerate the pace of change to make the past 200 years’ developments seem languid in pace. Demand for the growth of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms integrating sustainable mobility providers in an area – public transport, car, cycle and scooter-sharing – for comparing and booking from a single app is only going to increase.

Writing the next chapter

That demand for data analysis alongside a clamour for ‘tap and go’ technology across an even broader range of transport types means the next chapter is still very much yet to be written. We’re well established as a European leader of industry since launching more than half a century ago and now operate in 50 plus nations with 18,000 employees. We have a passion for further developing the concept of open ticketing to put customers at the heart of public transport with the most flexible and bespoke payment method – and the maximum convenience. Worldline is committed to attracting the next generation of Thomas Edmondsons. Young people with a vision to make 2025 the springboard for the next 200 years of rail. 

TfL’s contactless system is a groundbreaker which creates a positive 360-degree user experience on buses, trams, Docklands Light Railway and Underground. A third of contactless journeys on the Tube are now being paid for with a smartphone or smartwatch while contactless journeys accounted for around 71% of all pay as you go journeys on Tube, bus and London rail services – and that was in 2022.

Easily accessed and simple

Enhanced user experience through payment cards and devices for transit access have created a more seamless and efficient journey for customers, while operators have been able to reduce costs traditionally linked to traditional ticketing systems. But it is the increased accessibility and simplification of the payment process that has been a game-changer – encouraging more people to use public transport with the operator spin-off of higher usage and environmental advantage of reduced traffic congestion. Worldline’s vision is to extend the level of accessibility to customers’ own doorsteps through easy payment for bikes, scooters or other modes of transport connecting even the most rural populace with main transport hubs.

Worldline’s digital credentials

Worldline has a hard-earned reputation for modernising ticketing and payment processes by smoothly transitioning operators from manual methods to digital solutions. Its secure payment systems and advanced mobility management solutions have improved passenger journeys in the UK and beyond. But standing still is not an option given the pace of change, for which AI and data capture will prove the very real and significant catalysts to creating technologies we don’t yet know about. Contactless payment partnerships with operators such as TfL and SNCF have enhanced convenience and efficiency, but we are constantly horizon-scanning to see what technology realistically lies around the next bend. Worldline’s smartphone-based ticketing and powerful back-office systems have realised more streamlined operations, data-led fare management and passenger analytics that have benefited both company and customer. The next 20 years will take that to a whole new level.

Data and AI will set efficiency free

Martin Howell, Director of Transport Markets for UK and Ireland, says: “Unifying track and train to create the ideal conditions for innovation in the form of data analysis and AI will end confusing and time-consuming processes that have held back operational efficiency in the industry.”

 “We applaud the recent government recognition afforded to the private sector as drivers of innovation and investment and are committed to working with the entire industry to create a world-class railway fit for the 21st century, of which the nation can be proud.”

But he is prepared to make only one prediction for the future of mobility as a service: “It’s going to happen at pace and much faster than the rate of change in the first 200 years.”

Emerging trends will, he says, almost certainly centre on predictive AI ticketing and scheduling based on data gathered by AI into passenger behaviour and network demands. This will mean the ability to share real-time best travel options with the customer.

Biometric verification is another area that has been explored, but doubts over customer data-sharing currently present an obstacle to its introduction – an area that could change with less resistance from younger people.

“That’s the thing though. The technology around ideas that have previously been investigated and found to be difficult will change as AI develops, so that in a few years’ time it might well be commonplace and accepted by all,” says Martin.

A glimpse into the future?

Hyper-personalised experiences where rail journeys can be tailored precisely to individual preferences using advanced data analytics, are another area where operators may look to capitalise on the experiential side of transport and mobility. Rail networks, fully integrated with smart city infrastructure capable of dynamically adapting services based on real-time data, are also on the drawing board, as technology-driven solutions emerge monthly rather than every decade. As AI and deep-dive data analysis drive changes to operating systems, passengers will expect uninterrupted travel, frictionless automatic payments and fully digitised, personalised journey information direct to their smartphone or wearable device. That will move us inexorably nearer a scenario where stations will seamlessly connect rail to various transport modes, turning them into sustainably designed and run community spaces offering retail, leisure, healthcare and workspace facilities.

“No idea should be off the table”

Martin adds: “Personalisation and ease of accessibility supported by a fully integrated digital system is the future of public transport and no idea should be off the table.

“As an industry, the start point must be to think of people as customers rather than passengers. And customers now expect simplicity, ease of access to information about best pricing, when their service will arrive and expect a simple, unified approach to ticketing. Worldline is working hard to address that.”

As Thomas Edmondson realised way back in 1840, both operators and passengers – sorry customers – want a service based on trust and clarity. His cardboard tickets were just the beginning. We’ve come a long way since then, and the journey is about to get a whole lot more exciting very soon.