U.S. Intercity Train Service Faces Challenges with Open Loop, but Says ‘Contactless Payment Works on Rail’
Capitol Corridor, believed to be the first intercity passenger rail service to pilot open-loop payments in the U.S., plans to expand the trial soon and is installing contactless readers on all of its trains for an eventual rollout.
But the Northern California rail service, which is the largest transit agency supporting the state-backed open-loop procurement program Cal-ITP, has encountered some challenges that other transit agencies introducing open-loop payments don’t have to deal with.
California’s ‘Mobility Marketplace’ Completes First Full Year with Few Agencies Ordering Open-Loop Technology So Far
In its first full year of operation, a state-backed program in California targeted at small to mid-sized transit agencies– encouraging them to buy open-loop payments technology–has attracted orders from just six agencies and one small group.
California Commuter Rail Agency Plans to Launch Open-Loop Payments
The Capitol Corridor commuter and intercity rail service in Northern California plans to launch an open-loop payments trial in February, likely followed by a full rollout of the technology, Mobility Payments has learned.