The technology will be rolled out to 47 stations from 2 February, extending the 53 stations already involved in the Greater Manchester and West London regions.
It will charge passengers the cheapest ticket price available for that journey and will focus on commuter train journeys into London.
The stations to have the technology introduced include Ashford, Staines, Southend Central and St Albans Abbey.
Hemel Hempstead, Watford North and Sunnymeads will also go contactless from 2 February.
The Department for Transport noted there will be a further 49 stations with contactless ticketing throughout the year, which will mean all London airports will have contactless travelling options.
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The four stations included are Baldock, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City and Stevenage.
In the first six months of the initial roll-out in June 2023, there were over 268,000 journeys that utilised the tapping in and out method using contactless cards or mobile devices.
The Government has spent £20m on the upgrade and hopes this will make travelling on trains a better experience and simplify the process of purchasing tickets.
Meanwhile, today (20 January) marks the final day of National Rail’s UK-wide sale for train tickets, with two million journeys reduced in price.
‘Ticketing system is far too complicated’
Peter Hendy, rail minister, said: “The ticketing system is far too complicated, so we’re taking the stress out of navigating the labyrinth of fares and replacing it with new technology so passengers can simply tap-in tap-out, while being guaranteed the best fare available at the time on the day.
“This hassle-free technology will simplify thousands of journeys every day for passengers across the South East, and it’s something we will roll out to other cities as soon as we can, unlocking growth across the country as part of our Plan for Change.
“We are delivering the biggest overhaul of our rail network in a generation, putting passengers at the heart of every journey and encouraging more people to choose rail.”
Full list of stations with pay-as-you-go:
| Station | |
| Apsley | Park Street |
| Ashford | Pitsea |
| Basildon | Sevenoaks |
| Bat & Ball | Shepperton |
| Benfleet | Shoeburyness |
| Berkhamsted | Shoreham |
| Bletchley | Southend Central |
| Bricket Wood | Southend East |
| Chalkwell | St Albans Abbey |
| Cheddington | Staines |
| Datchet | Stanford-le-Hope |
| Dunton Green | Sunbury |
| East Tilbury | Sunnymeads |
| Egham | Thorpe Bay |
| Eynsford | Tilbury Town |
| Garston | Tring |
| Hemel Hempstead | Upper Halliford |
| How Wood | Virginia Water |
| Kempton Park | Watford North |
| King’s Langley | West Horndon |
| Laindon | Westcliff |
| Leigh-on-Sea | Windsor & Eton Riverside |
