 Pay-as-you-go passengers currently pay extra at overground stations |
An east London railway station will become the first overground station to accept pay-as-you-go Oyster fares. Passengers will be able to use Oyster cards to enter and leave Walthamstow Queens Road station from November, BBC London 94.9 has learned.
Oyster travel cards are currently accepted at overground stations but pay-as-you-go Oyster fares are not, resulting in higher fares.
On January 10 overground rail operators agreed to accept all Oyster fares.
Additional fare
The electronic Oyster cards are used across the city on the Tube, buses, trams and the Docklands Light Railway network.
Passengers can currently use Oyster cards as a travel card - to cover fares for periods from one week to one year, for travel to London destinations including overground stations.
However passengers who travel less frequently are unable to use Oyster card's pay-as-you-go service to enter or leave overground stations, where they are required to pay an additional fare.
Ten firms operating overground services into London have agreed in principle to install pay-as-you-go Oyster reading equipment in their stations by 2009, after accepting a �20m grant from the mayor.
Walthamstow Queens Road station is currently operated by Silverlink but the network will be run by Transport for London (TfL) from November under the name London Overground.
A TfL spokesman said: "In preparation for the start of London Overground services on November 11, Transport for London is installing Oyster ticket machines, pay-as-you-go equipment and ticket gates at Silverlink Metro stations.
"From this time, London Overground customers will be able to use Oyster pay-as-you-go across what is currently the Silverlink network."