Tickets for train travel could be scrapped forever after a trial for smart-charging the cheapest price direct to passengers鈥 phones was unveiled.

A 12-month Chiltern Railways trial will be launched later this year on journeys between Birmingham and London which could see the phasing out of traditional paper tickets and even see the end of 鈥榯ouch in, touch out鈥 ticket barriers.

Instead of tickets, beacons at train stations pick up Bluetooth signals from smartphones in passengers鈥 bags or pockets at the start and end of their journeys.

Passengers would be automatically charged the best price for their journey on an app linked to a bank account on their smartphones.

The move comes after long-standing complaints by passengers and watchdogs that the rail industry has been too slow to update the outdated ticketing system.

Rail operators have come under fire in recent years for failure to simplify the ticketing system to meet the demands of modern passengers.

Campaigners have been calling for a system that is fair to people working two or three days a week who lose out on the discounts given to those who buy monthly or yearly season tickets.

There have also been concerns that with widespread ticket office closures, passengers are forced to rely on machines which often fail to provide the best value ticket.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) is part-funding the trial and said technology was now in place to automate the entire ticketing process.

And states there was 鈥渘o chance of the customer buying an inappropriate ticket for their entire journey.鈥

The trial will involve 60 regular commuters testing the 鈥榟ands-free鈥 system on a number of stations between Oxford and London鈥檚 Marylebone Station.

Dave Penney, Chiltern Railways boss, said: 鈥淏luetooth sensors and geo-location tracking are used to open ticket gates and determine journeys taken, then the customer is billed at the end of the day with a best-value guarantee ensuring that they are charged the appropriate fare for their journeys. This could be the next evolution of rail ticketing.鈥