Pay as you go rail travel with contactless and Oyster is extending to a station in Kent next week.

Thousands of rail passengers are set for cheaper fares and more convenient journeys as Swanley station is put on the Oyster network from Wednesday, March 9.

Pay as you go fares are cheaper than paper tickets and are the same regardless of whether passengers use a contactless card payment or an Oyster card.

As part of the introduction, Swanley will also move into the London zones for the first time, allowing customers to now use a Zone 1-8 Travelcard to complete their journey.

The extension of pay as you go to Swanley forms part of Transport for London, Southeastern and Govia Thameslink Railway's wider work.

Last year, pay as you go was extended to Dartford. It is also set to be introduced in Sevenoaks.

Around 16,000 journeys are now made using pay as you go with contactless payment or Oyster cards from this station every week.

Concessions include free travel for children under 10 and veterans.

A standard anytime National Rail single fare from London to Swanley is currently £8.80, but with pay as you go it will be £7.10, and £4.10 off-peak.

A Day Travelcard from Swanley to Zones 1-6 costs £22.40 anytime but with contactless it is capped at £15.20.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "Integrating the fares on this route with the wider pay as you go network makes perfect sense and ties in with our mission to make getting around our city easy for everyone, no matter where they live.

"I'm delighted that the good people of Swanley will soon have the choice of paying for travel with contactless payments and Oyster, which offer better fares and a more convenient way to travel."

Contactless is with the use of a credit or debit card, meaning there is no need to top up.

For more information, or to sign up for an online account for your Oyster or contactless payment card, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets.