Railway station ticket barriers could be replaced by sensors which detect passengers

[John Ashworth]

Railway station ticket barriers could be replaced by sensors which detect when passengers board trains

The desperate scrabble for your ticket while running for a train could be a thing of the past, a manufacturer has claimed, with sensors potentially replacing ticket barriers which detect when passengers board trains.

Train-builder Hitachi Rail is developing technology designed to ensure travellers are automatically charged the correct fare by recognising their smartphones at both ends of their journey.

The firm is testing the system in northern Italy and believes it could be used on trains, buses and trams in the UK.

It said ticket barriers could be obsolete once sensors are installed...

And what about those passengers who don't have smartphones?