Oyster Cards to make London travel cheaper

Oyster card services will now be extended to the national rail station in London. The Oyster cards, which will be treated as travel cards, will allow passengers to swipe in and out of stations and may offer discounts of up to forty percent in some places.

This will translate to a very valuable service which is extended from buses and tubes to now also train facilities. The start date for this gigantic venture has been set for January 2, 2010.

Discounts to various destinations differ as though rail travel overall will be much less expensive, after the introduction of the new service.

Also, the purchase of separate tickets for over the ground train journeys will be eliminated making it much more convenient for the traveler. The rates for routes such as from London Bridge to East Croydon will drop by at least forty percent.

The largest savings to be had are from Zone 6, from Surbiton to Waterloo. The current off-peak fares amount to around five pounds, but with the advent of the Oyster card, rates will drop to as low as 3.20 pounds. Also benefiting immensely from this scheme are operators, as more people are expected to use their services for the direct routes mentioned. It is forecasted that their revenue will rise substantially with this move.

The train companies and the mayor of London, Mr. Boris Johnson, have been negotiating the move of setting up Oyster cards for a few years now. Based on the agreement made, an investment of around 40 million pounds has now been agreed upon. Most commuters from in and around London and also outside will see a lot of changes for the better, the government is saying.