The new cards, which would allow passengers to pre-pay for travel and swipe through at stations, were announced as part of new reforms announced to MPs today. 



Greening wants £3.5b annual efficiency savings and said that “inflation busting fare rises”, as experienced by many who travel in London, who be coming to an end. 



It has been suggested that the reforms will see the closure of many ticket offices, with the loss of 12,000 jobs too. 



Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, has voiced his concerns about the reforms: “This isn’t a recipe for efficiency, it is a recipe for exploitation with the train operators given the green light to rob passengers blind to travel on overcrowded and unsafe trains in the name of private profit.”



Greening has said: “Reform is long overdue. Passengers rightly want to know that we have a plan to end the era of inflation-busting fares seen over recent years and taxpayers rightly want to see subsidies reduced in order to help us tackle the fiscal deficit. “



Photo: Getty