Award

Ticket Retailing & Validation Solutions

NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

05 Mar 2026 at 16:54

Tender

28 Nov 2025 at 16:05

Planning

09 Sep 2025 at 08:24

Summary of the contracting process

Northern Trains Limited, based in York, is undertaking a procurement process titled "Ticket Retailing & Validation Solutions" within the industry category of ticket-validation machines and ticket-issuing machines. The procurement seeks to replace existing solutions that are vital for maintaining the continuity of rail services following the withdrawal of the incumbent supplier. The process uses an open procurement method and is in the award stage as of March 2026, with Worldline IT Services UK Limited set to deliver the contract valued at £29,167,795. The key dates reflected in the current contracting process include the start of the standstill period on 5th March 2026 and the contract commencement on 1st April 2026, spanning a minimum term of six years with possible extensions. The procurement involves service provision that aligns with utilities special regimes and ensures compliance with RDG accreditation and industry standards.

This tender presents substantial growth opportunities for businesses specialising in technology solutions for the rail industry, notably those experienced in ticket retailing and validation systems. It seeks innovative solutions capable of supporting Northern Trains' requirements for on-train and ticket office operations, including smartcard capabilities and EMV integration as part of the PAYG programme. As Northern Trains aims to safeguard its operations, particularly in train depots across Greater Manchester, enterprises well-versed in cloud-based or supplier-hosted technology models are well-suited to compete. Additionally, companies that can meet comprehensive payment acceptance requirements, including PCI DSS compliance, and offer robust financial integrity solutions will find potential for expansion and collaboration under this contract. This project stands to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large technology providers, offering them a platform to solidify their presence in the UK rail market.

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Notice Title

Ticket Retailing & Validation Solutions

Notice Description

Northern Trains Limited has a requirement to replace its existing Ticket Retailing & Validation solution by December 2026 due to the incumbent supplier's withdrawal from the UK rail ticketing market. Northern are therefore looking to engage the supply market to understand the solutions available. Northern Trains Limited Invitation to Tender is for the provision of a technology solution that satisfies two main outcomes for Northern: *Suitable replacement of the on-train and ticket office solution to maintain and safeguard ticket retailing and validation provision *Deliver on NTL's dependency into the PAYG programme for EMV A successfully delivered solution must meet 11 significant requirements: 1)Complete Ticket Issuing System (TIS) for All Devices 2)Architecture Description of All Components 3)Full Range of Retailing Options Available Day One 4)RDG Accreditation and Compliance 5)Adherence to Project Delivery Timelines 6)Customer Payment Type Acceptance 7)Support for ITSO PAYG Smartcards 8)TfGM cEMV PAYG Capability 9)Customer Travel Options and Fare Types 10)End-of-Shift Accounting Functionality 11)Ticket Inspection and Validation Functionality

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The minimum term is six (6) years, with the option to extend for a further five (5) years, split into a three (3) year option followed by a two (2) year option, up to a total maximum duration of eleven (11) years.

Planning Information

Northern would like to invite any suppliers who substantially meet the system detailed to register their interest to attend a briefing call hosted by the Project Team & Procurement Manager to explain the requirements in more detail. The briefing call will be hosted on Teams on 19/09/2025 11.30am - 12.30pm for all suppliers to attend. The session will consist of the project team giving an overview of Northern's technical requirements in further detail followed by a Q&A sessions for interested Suppliers to field any initial questions or clarifications. If you are interested in partaking in this briefing call please send an expression of interest to Alex Ashman (alexander.ashman@northernrailway.co.uk) along with a summary of the system capabilities (i.e Product fact sheet).

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059648
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020129-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages

50 - Repair and maintenance services


CPV Codes

30123100 - Ticket-validation machines

30144200 - Ticket-issuing machines

50316000 - Maintenance and repair of ticket-issuing machinery

50317000 - Maintenance and repair of ticket-validation machinery

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£30,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£30,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£29,167,795 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
12 Jan 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
19 Sep 2025Expired
Award Date
5 Mar 20261 months ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
YORK
Postcode
YO1 6JT
Post Town
York
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE2 North Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE21 York
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
York
Electoral Ward
Micklegate
Westminster Constituency
York Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

WORLDLINE IT SERVICES

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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