'Tap in and tap out' now available at local rail stations

'Tap in and tap out' train travel is now available at 25 stations in North East Wales, including Chirk, Ruabon and Gobowen, as Transport for Wales (TfW) extends the ticketing product to 10 new stations on the network. 

TfW first launched tap in and tap out ticketing in North Wales in May 2026 at 15 stations across the region and following its success has now extended it further. The 10 new stations joining the network are: 

• Chester
• Chirk
• Flint (including Shotton Low Level)
• Frodsham
• Gobowen
• Helsby
• Prestatyn
• Rhyl
• Ruabon
• Runcorn East

Pay as you go gives customers a simpler and more flexible way to travel without needing to buy a ticket before their journey. 

By tapping in and tapping out, customers are charged the best value equivalent fare for the journeys they make and can also benefit from daily and weekly fare capping to further improve value.

Alexia Course, Chief Commercial Officer at Transport for Wales, said: "Since introducing tap in and tap out across North East Wales, we’ve seen how much customers value being able to travel without needing to buy a ticket before their journey.  

“Expanding to more stations means even more people can tap in and tap out for our best value fares, making rail travel simpler and more convenient.  

“We’re continuing to make public transport easier to use and helping more people choose sustainable travel across North Wales.”

Customers must tap in at the start and tap out at the end of every journey using the same bank card or payment device to ensure the correct fare is charged. 

Customers are also encouraged to register for a pay as you go account through the TfW app, where they can receive enhanced customer support, view their journey and payment history, access travel receipts and receive alerts if they forget to tap out.

TfW are working with other operators in the region, such as Merseyrail to explore options to improve the customer proposition around pay as you go, particularly at stations where the schemes touch.