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National Express to roll out smart card travel options
5 Jul 2011

Smart card travel is just one of the points on the agenda for National Rail this year, which is investing £25 million into the transport network in Birmingham.

The cashless swipe card will be used in much the same way as the Oystercard in London, the Birmingham Mail reports, with improved cleaning facilities, new arrival time screens and 300 fresh vehicles to be added as well.

Passenger body Centro - based in the West Midlands - will also be sinking cash into the venture, with vice-chairman Jon Hunt saying he is "especially excited" about the smart card ticketing proposals.

"We are committed to working with Centro to deliver these improvements and listening to our customers," Dean Finch, National Express chief executive, added.

This comes after T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2 and Orange collaborated to develop near-field communication technology for smartphones, allowing people to pay for goods and services with their handsets, not cash.