PASSENGER groups in the area have welcomed the success of Oyster cards on National Rail trains.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that more than one million journeys are being made each week in London using Oyster cards after it was extended to 350 overland stations in January.

Oyster can now be used on all commuter rail, Tube, DLR, London Overground, London Buses and Tramlink services in the capital, and is also accepted on Thames Clipper river services.

Forest Hill Society member, Michael Abrahams, has been campaigning for better travel links in south-east London for a number of years.

He said: "Fundamentally this has been a huge benefit. It actually works out cheaper for a lot of people because rather than having to buy bus and train tickets in two separate journeys, it can all be covered on Oyster."

Pay-as-you-go with Oyster charges the lowest fares in nearly every case but also saves time, as there is no need to queue to buy a ticket - passengers simply top up their card at ticket machines or online.

Brian Cooke, the chairman of Orpington District Transport Users Association, said: "It makes a lot of journeys easier and cheaper but we would like to see it extended to areas outside London so that if you wanted to travel to Dartford, Gravesend or Sevenoaks, it could be done so just as easily."

Shashi Verma, TfL’s director of fares and ticketing, said: "With seven million cards in regular use it is now the world’s most successful and popular travel smartcard.”