Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris has written to train operating companies calling for smart ticketing by default plans to be drawn up and implemented next year.
He stressed this should not spell the end of paper tickets for those who need them but wanted to see the industry achieve the same level of 'customer proposition' as Transport for London have delivered with the Oyster and Contactless systems.
Bar code tickets can be displayed on mobiles
'A more concerted effort to move to smart by default is needed across the whole industry,' he wrote.
'I therefore would be keen to hear your plans as to how you could move to retailing smart tickets by default by January 2020. I am also keen that train companies are taking every step to ensure that smart tickets are enabled for sale wherever the infrastructure exists, and to ensure the buying process for smart tickets is as simple and user friendly as it can be.
'I would like to understand the steps you are taking to ensure that this is the case, and how you will measure customer satisfaction with smart ticketing buying processes in a consistent way.
'I would like to receive a summary of your plans to achieve this by 15 November. Please reply to me outlining the work you already have underway to increase take up and what further steps you are planning.'
The Government has had a tortuous path towards smart ticketing in recent years and made little real progress above switching paper tickets onto plastic ones. It also considers bar (QR) codes to be a form of smart ticketing, even though they merely provide a visual representation of a paper ticket.
Flexible fares, fare capping, multi-modal use and interoperability between different companies remain out of reach across the vast majority of the network with schemes in both the South East and the North failing to deliver these crucial aspects of smart ticketing.
The minister's letter references an £80m investment by government, which Transport Network revealed was largely spent investing in infrastructure without delivering the key benefits to passengers.
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