The UK’s Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has identified biometric ticketing as one of several innovations in its digital blueprint for the country’s railways.

Dubbed the capability delivery plan (CDP), the blueprint suggests that bluetooth and biometric ticketing could replace traditional ‘tangerine’ ticket.

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RDG highlighted the development of a mobile app that aids the passenger-flow through ticket gates using bluetooth technology.

By installing the app on to their smartphones, passengers can open ticket gates touching them.

RDG chief executive Paul Plummer said: “This blueprint sets out how we can harness digital technology to make journeys better for passengers and freight customers on a railway that’s simpler and easier-to-use.

“The capability delivery plan is an important step in ensuring that the whole railway and its supply chain collaborates efficiently and effectively to deliver the digital railway’s wide-ranging benefits, including better services for customers, more and better jobs for our people, and better value for taxpayers.”

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The software currently in-development is expected to result in biometric technology such as fingerprint or iris-scanning and allows automatic identification of customers.

"This blueprint sets out how we can harness digital technology to make journeys better for passengers and freight customers on a railway that’s simpler and easier-to-use."

Arriva UK Trains’ company Chiltern Railways is planning to trial the technology this year on its new route between Oxford Parkway and London Marylebone.

RDG also focused on new seat designs that will improve comfort and increase the amount of space for passengers on both new and existing trains.

CDP has been developed with experts from across the rail industry and its supply chain, having identified 12 areas that are planned to be improved over the coming years.

Over the next few months, the rail industry plans to release further details of several projects that make up the 12 key capabilities and will set-out these plans.

Image: CDP has been developed with experts from across the rail industry and its supply chain. Photo: courtesy of Freeimages.com / Barbara Stoessel.

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