A new, more convenient era began on Merseyrail today as Tap & Go was extended to the use of contactless bank cards, watches and smartphones.

Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have invested £10m to introduce smart ticketing across the Merseyrail network, marking a major step forward in creating a modern, 21st century transport system that’s faster, cheaper, easier and better connected.

Passengers can now use the same contactless card or mobile device to tap in at the start of their journey and tap out at their destination using rail gates, when available, or platform validators.

The new system will help to ease pressure on ticket office queues during peak hours and ensure that passengers always pay the cheapest possible fare, making it easier than ever for people to travel across the Merseyrail network.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- “This is a long overdue step forward in bringing our transport network up to the standard people rightly expect in 2026. Contactless payments are the norm in other major cities like London or Paris, so it’s only right that people in the Liverpool City Region have a system that’s simpler, more flexible and better suited to modern life. With contactless payments, we’re making it easier than ever for people to move around our region, without worrying about rush-hour queues or calculating the best possible fare. Crucially, this is about giving people a choice: our ticket offices will remain open for the many passengers who rely on them every day. However, today marks the start of a new era for public transport in the Liverpool City Region - but it’s not the end of the journey. As we take greater public control of our transport network will be able to deliver a single unified, seamless ticketing system across our trains, buses and ferries that makes travelling by public transport as fast, easy, cheap and convenient as possible."

And the Combined Authority can also confirm that Merseyrail fares will be frozen in line with the national policy on rail fares until March 2027.

Mayor Rotheram added:- “We’ve transformed our local rail network in recent years. Since I was elected, we’ve introduced a £500m fleet of publicly owned, state-of-the-art trains, opened new stations and delivered the kind of investment our area deserves. Freezing Merseyrail fares is another step forward as we continue to strengthen and modernise our network. As a devolved railway, we have the ability to make decisions locally and respond quickly for our communities. Bringing our fares into line with the national freeze means passengers here will benefit in exactly the same way – and it shows how devolution allows us to work constructively alongside government while putting local priorities 1st. This builds on everything we’re already doing - from our £2 bus fare cap to the most generous concessionary travel scheme in the country - to create a fully integrated, London-style transport system that’s affordable, reliable and designed around the 1.6 million people who call our City Region home.”

Tap & Go provides greater flexibility, allowing everyone to choose the payment method that works best for them. Passengers who prefer to use their existing MetroCard can continue to do so and ticket offices will remain open for passengers to purchase a paper ticket.

The launch represents another milestone in Mayor Rotheram’s ambition to modernise public transport, and create a seamless, passenger-focused travel experience that offers people a genuine alternative to the car - supporting the Mayor’s ambition for the Region to be net zero by 2035.