You'll soon be able to tap in and tap out at some Greater Manchester train stations - full list

A number of Greater Manchester train stations are set to be included in a new UK government pilot scheme. The stations will be part of a trial for ‘pay as you go’ train tickets in 2025. 

If you are travelling from any of the 17 stations in the region, you’ll be able to use contactless cards and smart devices to tap in and out on your journey. The stations are on the Glossop to Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge to Victoria lines. The pilot could signal a more permanent move towards ‘pay as you go’ style of train travel. The stations in Greater Manchester will join almost 500 others in being part of the pilot in 2025. 

The trial is hoped by the Department for Transport to be a chance for passengers in the pilot stations to experience simpler and more flexible travel. The stations will be fitted with technology to allow for the smooth transition into ‘tap in, tap out’ rail travel. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We are transforming how people travel in Greater Manchester, with the aim for people to pay for journeys easily and seamlessly across buses, trams, trains and cycle hire. We look forward to progressing with these new contactless rail pilots and working together to develop a more meaningful and accountable partnership that allows us to integrate local rail services across the city-region into the Bee Network by 2030.”

Stewart Fox-Mills, Director for Fares, Ticketing and Retail at GBRTT said: “Buying a train ticket is often too complicated. Which is why work to simplify the experience customers have is such a vital part of wider rail reforms. Partnership working, bringing the railway together to work with local partners, has unlocked pilots that will deliver a more seamless travel experience for customers in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. GBRTT will continue to work with partners to deliver a more locally accountable, integrated rail network.”

Full list of Greater Manchester train stations included in pilot 

• Adrwick
• Ashburys
• Ashton-under-Lyne
• Broadbottom
• Dinting
• Fairfield 
• Flowery Field 
• Glossop
• Godley
• Gorton
• Guide Bridge 
• Hadfield
• Hattersley
• Manchester Piccadilly 
• Manchester Victoria 
• Newton for Hyde 
• Stalybridge