Flexible rail ticket project was delayed and over budget, watchdog reports.

A project to enable part-time workers to buy flexible rail season tickets was delayed and ran millions of pounds over budget, according to a spending watchdog.

Eleven operators running trains into London were expected to offer discounted travel for such passengers by 2014 but only one, c2c, has achieved this, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

Its report stated the Department for Transport (DfT) established the scheme in January 2012 with a £45 million budget, but £54 million was spent.

The South East Flexible Ticketing (Seft) programme was created to accelerate the introduction of smart cards on the rail network in a bid to enhance the experience for passengers and reduce the cost of selling tickets.

But passengers on just five train companies operating services in south-east England can now buy season tickets using the technology, the NAO investigation found.



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