Transport for Wales passengers will have a new option for purchasing rail tickets from the 24th of January.

The train operating company is running a pilot involving 90 convenience stores in the South Wales Metro area.

Passengers will be able to purchase selected tickets for local journeys from the stores in a partnership with Payzone using SilverRail retailing technology.

TfW are the first train operating company in the UK to partner with Payzone and means that passengers have the option to purchase tickets in advance with cash.

Passengers can also purchase tickets online, via the TfW App and at ticket offices.

David O’Leary, TfW’s Commercial and Customer Experience Director, said: “This is an exciting pilot that gives customers additional choices about how and where their purchase their rail tickets. This is the very first time in the UK that rail customers will be able to buy their tickets in their local convenience store and it also gives customers the added choice of purchasing with cash, especially if their local station does not have a ticket office or only has a self-service machine that accepts cards only.”

Noel Goulty, Head of Transport and Ticketing at Payzone added: “This is truly a first for rail ticketing, bringing the retailing of rail tickets to the centre of Welsh communities. This strategic partnership with SilverRail will deliver a fully accredited system on behalf of Transport for Wales, which is exclusive to Payzone and allows passengers to buy rail tickets, whilst popping into their corner shop for some essentials! We are committed to innovating in this space to become the default high street network for cash ticketing. This is a genuinely exciting time for Transport for Wales and we are delighted to be part of the team delivering on their strategy.”

David Pitt, SilverRail’s Head of UK, concluded: “We are very excited to deliver this pioneering retail solution alongside Transport for Wales and Payzone. Bringing rail tickets to the high street in this way will ensure nobody is left behind by the digital revolution and will provide convenience and a wider availability of tickets to the travelling public. We believe it’s very important that rail retailing remains inclusive by allowing all types of travellers – from those who are confident with mobile ticketing to those who are less digitally adept – to be able to book rail journeys using cash or through more modern payment methods”