ELECTRONIC ticket readers have been installed in railway stations across Sussex to allow for greater social distancing and non-contact travel.

Passengers using Southern and Thameslink smartphone e-tickets can now scan their tickets on new barcode readers installed on the gates at stations in Sussex and Surrey.

These include Hassocks, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, Three Bridges, Horsham, Crawley and East Grinstead.

They allow passengers to scan e-tickets bought using the Southern or Thameslink OnTrack apps or online, displayed on their smartphones or printed out at home.

Season ticket holders are urged to use the free Key smartcard which is also now available at most ticket office counters, or to order one online.

Barcode e-ticket sales have increased from 25 per cent of UK rail ticket revenues to 33 per cent since the pandemic hit.

It is hoped the new readers will give passengers more confidence to travel safely amid the coronavirus crisis.

Southern managing director Angie Doll said: “Customers who need to travel can already do so with confidence thanks to our intensive cleaning regime.

“Now, by rolling out e-tickets to even more stations in Sussex and Surrey and making our free Key smartcard available over the counter, we’re making it even quicker and easier to book tickets online, speeding our passengers’ journeys through the station, minimising contact and helping everyone to socially distance.”

To purchase tickets, visit southernrailway.com or thameslinkrailway.com.