Rail commuters in south-east Sweden’s Östergötland region are the first in the country to be able to buy train tickets with the tap of a payment card or smart watch.

Delivered in collaboration with Estonian intelligent transport company Ridango (www.ridango.com), this is the latest track in Telia’s long-term partnership with public transport operator Östgötatrafiken.

Contactless ticketing makes journeys more straightforward as topping up a separate travel card or queuing at a ticket office are no longer required. Telia and Östgötatrafiken have partnered on smart ticketing since 2019, starting with Östgötatrafiken’s city buses and trams.

“Telia and Ridango’s solution, which includes hardware and validation and payment systems, meets the high security standards required for use on trains and works very well,” said Ylva Aspenberg, head of business development at Östgötatrafiken (www.ostgotatrafiken.se). “It also provides valuable statistics that help us in planning and improving our services. We’re very satisfied, and so are our customers.”

Björn Hansen, head of mobility at Telia, added: “We’re proud to contribute to smoother and safer public transport experiences for commuters in Östergötland. Thanks to our innovative technology and strong partnerships with Östgötatrafiken and Ridango, we’re working to make travelling simpler, more secure and accessible for everybody.”

The partners will continue exploring ways to improve public transport, with a focus on further simplifying ticket validation and enabling more user-friendly journeys.

Elsewhere in the railway sector, Telia recently announced (www.teliacompany.com/en/news/telias-5g-tests-keep-train-communications-on-track-2025-02-26-07-00-00) its participation in tests of a European 5G-based standard with the potential to bring express speeds to critical rail communications.

Telia (www.teliacompany.com) is a Nordic and Baltic telecommunications company and Nordic media house, serving consumers, businesses and public sector customers with digital infrastructure, ICT services and entertainment. It provides 26 million mobile, broadband and TV subscriptions.