A TRAVEL watchdog has slammed rail operators for “dragging their feet” and claims the roll-out of Oyster cards on national rail will be further delayed.

Overground stations such as Chingford, Highams Park and Wood Street on the Liverpool Street line have had Oyster card swipe machines installed since last year but passengers can’t use them because they haven’t been activated yet.

Transport for London, National Express East Anglia and the London Mayor promised that all 250 affected railway stations in London will “go live” with Oyster by the end of the year.

But London Travel Watch claim that passengers are more likely to be waiting until January 2010 - maybe even longer - because not all the necessary preparations have been made.

Travel Watch press officer Jo deBank said: “It is the rail networks who are dragging their feet. It is not in their best interest to get them up and running because it is a TfL product and some of the money goes to TfL, but it is in the passengers interest.

“Our argument is that we need an integrated system. It is ridiculous that you can get on a train with an Oyster, but cannot use it getting off the train. It is confusing for the passenger and they have to pay more.

“If the rail networks have dragged their feet for all these years, what is to stop them doing it more?”

But a Transport for London spokesman denies these claims and said: "Progress is being made and it is anticipated that Oyster Pay As You Go will be accepted on all train operating company services in greater London towards the end of 2009."

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on behalf of the railway operator, also denied that there will be a delay.

He said: “We have got to test it and make sure we are delivering the right product. We are still installing it across the network and will go love by the end of this year.

“There were a few teething problems when it was introduced on the Underground, so putting it into 250 stations across London is complex and we want to make sure that when we launch it, it will work.

Several ward councillors have been writing to Transport for London (TfL) over the last two years expressing concern about the length of time it is taking to install a reader at their local station.