Pay-as-you-go arrived at three more stations today.

Commuters can now tap in and out at St Albans City, Harpenden, and Luton Airport Parkway - with contactless generally offering the cheapest single fares towards London.

Thameslink, has worked with Transport for London and the Department for Transport (DfT) to extend the contactless system.

Harpenden resident Neil Middleton, who is chairman of the Association of Public Transport Users - the local Rail User Group, said: "We welcome the arrival of cheaper single journeys and contactless as a payment option, where there is no requirement to top up.

"It is important that travellers who choose to, can avoid the hassle and time of buying a paper ticket before their journey by opting for pay as you go. For regular users, Thameslink’s KeyGo may be a better option and we urge them to consider this."

The contactless extension has been welcomed by St Albans MP Anne Main who said: "We have been pushing for this for quite some time so I am very pleased that it has now been launched."