Excellent, I've been trying to figure this out; whether I will be able to just jump on/off using my debit (or Oyster) card as I currently do on the over/underground.
Any idea how far out of town this ticketing system will be usable? Will someone in Reading be able to use a contactless card without having to buy a paper ticket?
Note that you can also use contactless or Oyster on National Rail within the zones, e.g. King's Cross to Alexandra Palace or Moorgate to Finsbury Park.
> Any idea how far out of town this ticketing system will be usable? Will someone in Reading be able to use a contactless card without having to buy a paper ticket?
At the moment no. One would hope that common sense will prevail.
If I recall correctly, this is already the case on the other side of Crossrail (Shenfield/Brentford). It's also been introduced at Gatwick Airport recently.
Visitors to London especially don't need to care about this, and the name tells then to treat it like the other underground lines: there will be trains every two minutes, and a special ticket isn't required.
Also, Crossrail 2 is being planned.