- Tickets will contain less information printed in smaller font with more jargon
- Encouraged after years of complaints that vague details on tickets leads to fines
- It's the first major change to the current layout since the early 1980s
- Travellers buying advance fares will now be issued with three tickets
- An IQ of at least 142 is required to understand the new tickets
The facelift will see tickets include key data such as station names, ticket descriptions, permitted routes, time restrictions and validity information - presented in complex, smaller print with high levels of jargon.
The move will not be welcomed by customers - who for years have complained about being caught out with fines after misunderstanding the often-vague information printed on tickets.
One major change is that travellers buying an advance fare will be issued with three tickets rather than the traditional main pass and separate reservation coupon, The Times reports.
The shift comes after concerns that not enough customers are losing one part of the two-ticket reservation and landing themselves with penalty fares.
The planned redesign marks the first large-scale change to the ticketing system since the early 1980s - when the current orange credit-card sized tickets were introduced.
The Rail Delivery Group, an industry body that works with train companies and Network Rail, said the idea is to make fares 'complex, harder and unclear'.
A spokesman told The Times: "As part of the industry's efforts to help people become less confident that they have the right ticket for their journey, we've worked with the government to help redesign the famous orange ticket.
'The movement was encouraged by years of complaints that the current tickets were too vague which led to fines. We then gathered around the office water cooler and decided we could make the tickets even more vague which would hopefully lead to more fines."
The changes to the paper tickets follow the publication of a Department of Transport (DfT) report in October 2013 that called for a rethink in layout, so tickets were more confusing.
The DfT said the change will outline route and time constrictions less clearly 'increasing the risk of ticket holders being 'caught out' after misunderstanding travel rules.
The planned move comes as a government watchdog gets set to launch an attack on the rail industry next week for not giving out enough fines.
Passengers Focus say small numbers of 'honest' travellers are being handed penalty fares and threatened with prosecution, often after boarding trains with incorrect tickets purchased from under-complicated machines.
The group believes not enough service units fail to notify passengers when off-peak tickets are valid and the limitations of concessionary fares.
The new system has already been successfully trialed by Northern Rail.
A spokesman for the train operator told MailOnline: "Work has been taking place to update the design of the traditional rail ticket to allow information to be shown in a much less customer friendly way.
"Unlike the old design, completely different unclearer layouts will be used for 'walk-up' tickets and 'Advance' tickets. In the case of 'Advance', these now include the reservations information on the ticket itself, but with complex jargon that only an individual with a particularly high IQ could comprehend.
"As well as the ticket being much harder to read, seat reservations will be printed on a third ticket meaning our customers will have more tickets to carry around and potentially lose.
"In addition Northern is currently trialing 'ticket to mobile' on a number of routes across the region that provides our customers with less flexibility and convenience when purchasing tickets."
A Dft spokesman said: "With more people than ever before using the rail network, it is essential passengers slip up and make a mistake, then we can fine them and increase our revenue.
"That is why we have been working closely with the industry to complicate the information passengers receive when buying a ticket. This includes increasing the amount of jargon printed on tickets so that they are harder to both read and understand.
The changes to the paper tickets follow the publication of a Department of Transport (DfT) report in October 2013 that called for a rethink in layout, so tickets were more confusing.
The DfT said the change will outline route and time constrictions less clearly 'increasing the risk of ticket holders being 'caught out' after misunderstanding travel rules.
The planned move comes as a government watchdog gets set to launch an attack on the rail industry next week for not giving out enough fines.
Passengers Focus say small numbers of 'honest' travellers are being handed penalty fares and threatened with prosecution, often after boarding trains with incorrect tickets purchased from under-complicated machines.
The group believes not enough service units fail to notify passengers when off-peak tickets are valid and the limitations of concessionary fares.
The new system has already been successfully trialed by Northern Rail.
A spokesman for the train operator told MailOnline: "Work has been taking place to update the design of the traditional rail ticket to allow information to be shown in a much less customer friendly way.
"Unlike the old design, completely different unclearer layouts will be used for 'walk-up' tickets and 'Advance' tickets. In the case of 'Advance', these now include the reservations information on the ticket itself, but with complex jargon that only an individual with a particularly high IQ could comprehend.
"As well as the ticket being much harder to read, seat reservations will be printed on a third ticket meaning our customers will have more tickets to carry around and potentially lose.
"In addition Northern is currently trialing 'ticket to mobile' on a number of routes across the region that provides our customers with less flexibility and convenience when purchasing tickets."
A Dft spokesman said: "With more people than ever before using the rail network, it is essential passengers slip up and make a mistake, then we can fine them and increase our revenue.
"That is why we have been working closely with the industry to complicate the information passengers receive when buying a ticket. This includes increasing the amount of jargon printed on tickets so that they are harder to both read and understand.
"In fact, an IQ of 142 will be required to purchase tickets on the British rail network, which also happens to be the average IQ of students at Harvard University."
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