Manned gates at Wolverhampton & Bham Intntnl, with more CCTV and Auto
gates at Coventry.
More at: http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?story=270

Joe Patrick wrote:

> 
> Manned gates at Wolverhampton & Bham Intntnl, with more CCTV and Auto
> gates at Coventry.
> More at: http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?story=270


Wolverhampton has an intriguing notice in the booking hall now:

"Commencing Monday 1 August 2005 this station will become a compulsory
ticket area.
"As part of Virgin Trains commitment to Customer Service we will be
performing random ticket inspections at this station.
"Whilst ticket checks are taking place, all customers will be required
to produce a valid ticket for travel.
"Customers without a valid ticket will be required to purchase tickets
from the ticket office or FastTicket machine prior to boarding the
train."

I wonder if they'll be selling platform tickets at all? Or are
non-travelling "customers" to be prohibited from waving goodbye to their
aged relatives on the platform?

Mind you, if it's anything like Banbury, it'll be a complete waste of
time and money anyway. There's a sign up at Banbury saying something
about ticket inspections. If you look very, very carefully, you might
find a chap reading the Daily Mirror in a broom cupboard at the top of
the stairs to the footbridge. He won't bother you if you don't bother
him.
-- 
Joyce Whitchurch, Stalybridge, UK
=================================
Do something amazing. Give blood.
<http://www.blood.co.uk/>

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 23:01:48 +0000 (UTC), Joyce Whitchurch
 wrote:


>I wonder if they'll be selling platform tickets at all? Or are
>non-travelling "customers" to be prohibited from waving goodbye to their
>aged relatives on the platform?


Probably not, but as in other urban areas (or places where there is
quite a high density of stations) there's always a single to the next
stop.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

wensleydale@pacersplace.org.uk (Neil Williams) wrote in
news:42f84e93.286181@news.tesco.net: 


> On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 23:01:48 +0000 (UTC), Joyce Whitchurch
>  wrote:
> 
>>I wonder if they'll be selling platform tickets at all? Or are
>>non-travelling "customers" to be prohibited from waving goodbye to
>>their aged relatives on the platform?
> 
> Probably not, but as in other urban areas (or places where there is
> quite a high density of stations) there's always a single to the next
> stop.
> 
> Neil
> 


I remember trying that once in Tokyo when I needed to get onto the
platform for some reason. Unfortunately, the barriers wouldn't let me
off the platform again, because the ticket wasn't valid *to* that
station only *from* it to the next station :( 

Do UK gates do the same thing, I wonder?

Reece



-- 
"To a good wicket-keeper much may be forgiven"

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 23:01:48 +0000 (UTC), Joyce Whitchurch wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:

> Joe Patrick wrote:
> > 
> > Manned gates at Wolverhampton & Bham Intntnl, with more CCTV and Auto
> > gates at Coventry.
> > More at: http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?story=270
> 
> Wolverhampton has an intriguing notice in the booking hall now:
> 
> "Commencing Monday 1 August 2005 this station will become a compulsory
> ticket area.
> "As part of Virgin Trains commitment to Customer Service we will be
> performing random ticket inspections at this station.
> "Whilst ticket checks are taking place, all customers will be required
> to produce a valid ticket for travel.
> "Customers without a valid ticket will be required to purchase tickets
> from the ticket office or FastTicket machine prior to boarding the
> train."
> 
> I wonder if they'll be selling platform tickets at all? Or are
> non-travelling "customers" to be prohibited from waving goodbye to their
> aged relatives on the platform?


The intriguing part of that notice is he first sentence. "Compulsory
Ticket Area" is a term with a specific meaning: it refers to the
Penalty Fares Regulations.

So, is VT making Wolverhampton a CTA as part of the CT PF scheme, or
have they just borrowed some suitably threatening terminology?


On the subject of ticket checks, I was perusing the GNER website
yesterday and I see that their ticket policy is a tad confused. 
<http://www.gner.co.uk/GNER/Tickets/Buyingandusingaticket.htm>
"If you are travelling on our trains without a valid ticket and are
unable or unwilling to pay the Open or Day fare for your whole
journey, you will be asked for your name and address so we can bill
you later. If you refuse to do this, you will be asked to leave the
train at the next stop to buy a ticket from the ticket office."


I can see what they're trying to say, but it seems to rather restrict
their options vis-a-vis attempted evasion. Refuse to show a ticket,
refuse to pay and refuse to give name-and-address is the traditional
"three fails" which would normally result in police intervention. 

The GNER site seems to suggest the worst that will happen is you'll be
kicked off and can then get the next train forward, a method of travel
known by grippers to be regularly used by fiddling bastards over the
years.
-- 
Ross, Lincoln, UK

We're *not* afraid
http://www.werenotafraid.com

> Mind you, if it's anything like Banbury, it'll be a complete waste of
> time and money anyway. There's a sign up at Banbury saying something
> about ticket inspections. If you look very, very carefully, you might
> find a chap reading the Daily Mirror in a broom cupboard at the top of
> the stairs to the footbridge. He won't bother you if you don't bother
> him.


Or, if he actually wants to check tickets, you could always enter/exit
via the lift.

> On the subject of ticket checks, I was perusing the GNER website
> yesterday and I see that their ticket policy is a tad confused.
> <http://www.gner.co.uk/GNER/Tickets/Buyingandusingaticket.htm>
> "If you are travelling on our trains without a valid ticket and are
> unable or unwilling to pay the Open or Day fare for your whole
> journey, you will be asked for your name and address so we can bill
> you later. If you refuse to do this, you will be asked to leave the
> train at the next stop to buy a ticket from the ticket office."


That's a bargain if you live in Peterborough, Stevenage or if you're
only travelling one place!

> On the subject of ticket checks, I was perusing the GNER website
> yesterday and I see that their ticket policy is a tad confused.
> <http://www.gner.co.uk/GNER/Tickets/Buyingandusingaticket.htm>
> "If you are travelling on our trains without a valid ticket and are
> unable or unwilling to pay the Open or Day fare for your whole
> journey, you will be asked for your name and address so we can bill
> you later. If you refuse to do this, you will be asked to leave the
> train at the next stop to buy a ticket from the ticket office."


That's a bargain if you live in Peterborough, Stevenage or if you're
only travelling one stop! :p

On 9 Aug 2005 14:48:22 +0800, Reece 
wrote:


>I remember trying that once in Tokyo when I needed to get onto the
>platform for some reason. Unfortunately, the barriers wouldn't let me
>off the platform again, because the ticket wasn't valid *to* that
>station only *from* it to the next station :( 
>
>Do UK gates do the same thing, I wonder?


The only time I've ever done it (at Luton) there wasn't an issue.  You
could always go through the manual gates.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On 9 Aug 2005 04:16:54 -0700, Joe Patrick wrote:


> Or, if he actually wants to check tickets, you could always enter/exit
> via the lift.


There are lifts at Banbury?
-- 
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633017.html
(46 008 at Birmingham New Street, 1979)

On Tue, 09 Aug 2005 10:40:59 +0100, Ross wrote:


> The intriguing part of that notice is he first sentence. "Compulsory
> Ticket Area" is a term with a specific meaning: it refers to the
> Penalty Fares Regulations.
> 
> So, is VT making Wolverhampton a CTA as part of the CT PF scheme, or
> have they just borrowed some suitably threatening terminology?


If so, they should be stopping people getting on to the station without
a valid ticket, like they always used to in the good old days. I have
reason to believe they are not.

-- 
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633043.html
(47 484 at Bournemouth, 3 May 1985)

"Chris Tolley"  wrote in message
news:3ly1grailb9h$.e7u3um9n4grr.dlg@40tude.net...

> On 9 Aug 2005 04:16:54 -0700, Joe Patrick wrote:
>
> > Or, if he actually wants to check tickets, you could always enter/exit
> > via the lift.
>
> There are lifts at Banbury?


There are. They were installed a couple of years ago by bringing the former
parcels half (the southern side) of the footbridge into public use.

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 11:33:12 GMT, Chris Tolley wrote in
<sz985qlljci1$.a815y7s4i1pj$.dlg@40tude.net>, seen in uk.railway:

> On Tue, 09 Aug 2005 10:40:59 +0100, Ross wrote:
> 
> > The intriguing part of that notice is he first sentence. "Compulsory
> > Ticket Area" is a term with a specific meaning: it refers to the
> > Penalty Fares Regulations.
> > 
> > So, is VT making Wolverhampton a CTA as part of the CT PF scheme, or
> > have they just borrowed some suitably threatening terminology?
> 
> If so, they should be stopping people getting on to the station without
> a valid ticket, like they always used to in the good old days. 


CTA has *nothing* to do with the provision of ticket barriers. In fact
you could argue it's a way to (attempt to) ensure only ticket holders
pass a given point without the expense of barriers.

Which is why when CT introduced CTAs at stations such as Walsall, it
didn't consider it necessary to introduce any form of barrier.

-- 
Ross, Lincoln, UK

We're *not* afraid
http://www.werenotafraid.com

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 14:23:05 GMT, Jack Taylor wrote:


> "Chris Tolley"  wrote in message
> news:3ly1grailb9h$.e7u3um9n4grr.dlg@40tude.net...
>> On 9 Aug 2005 04:16:54 -0700, Joe Patrick wrote:
>>
>>> Or, if he actually wants to check tickets, you could always enter/exit
>>> via the lift.
>>
>> There are lifts at Banbury?
> 
> There are. They were installed a couple of years ago by bringing the former
> parcels half (the southern side) of the footbridge into public use.


Much obliged. I've never noticed them.
-- 
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9632997.html
(43 192 at Reading, 27 Apr 1985)

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 16:53:40 +0100, Ross wrote:

> CTA has *nothing* to do with the provision of ticket barriers. Which
> is why when CT introduced CTAs at stations such as Walsall, it didn't
> consider it necessary to introduce any form of barrier.


On my recent ride from Wolves to Walsall, just as most were getting off
the train at Wolves, a youth got on and sat in my coach. When the guard
came through, he started arguing with her, and proceeded to do so all
the way to Walsall. After putting up with that for far longer than I
would have, she concluded he was intending to evade his fare and phoned
ahead to BTP at Walsall. At Walsall, she didn't open the doors while we
waited for BTP to arrive, but the officer was nowhere to be seen. The
guard and I walked back through the train to get to the BTP office.
Meanwhile, one of the platform staff opened the doors, and the youth was
away from the front of the train. I expect you've experienced similar.
-- 
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633046.html
(47 539 at Shrewsbury, Aug 1982)

On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 03:58:11 GMT, Chris Tolley wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:

> On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 16:53:40 +0100, Ross wrote:

> > CTA has *nothing* to do with the provision of ticket barriers. Which
> > is why when CT introduced CTAs at stations such as Walsall, it didn't
> > consider it necessary to introduce any form of barrier.
> 
> On my recent ride from Wolves to Walsall, just as most were getting off
> the train at Wolves, a youth got on and sat in my coach. When the guard
> came through, he started arguing with her, and proceeded to do so all
> the way to Walsall. After putting up with that for far longer than I
> would have, she concluded he was intending to evade his fare and phoned
> ahead to BTP at Walsall. At Walsall, she didn't open the doors while we
> waited for BTP to arrive, but the officer was nowhere to be seen. The
> guard and I walked back through the train to get to the BTP office.


BTP at Walsall? She was hoping, unless things have improved
drastically since I was there. Wolves was the nearest manned nick, and
half the time you couldn't get a response there. Walsall's BTP office
was just somewhere for them to have a cup of tea and do the paperwork
when they visited that neck of the woods.



> Meanwhile, one of the platform staff opened the doors, and the youth was
> away from the front of the train. I expect you've experienced similar.


I've seen it happen, and I've had runners a-plenty when I was a guard,
especially with slam-door stock.

Platform staff were generally intelligent enough not to interfere with
the doors on my trains, though, or at least to only do it once.

-- 
Ross, Lincoln, UK

We're *not* afraid
http://www.werenotafraid.com

Joe Patrick wrote:

> Manned gates at Wolverhampton & Bham Intntnl, with more CCTV and Auto
> gates at Coventry.
> More at: http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?story=270


Needs it.

On Virgin WC, there is rarely any on train ticket check between
Coventry - Wolves going north. Same coming south on XC between Wolves -
B'ham or north Coventry - B'ham.

However, Central trains do make checks between these places. Judging by
the number of pax buying tickets from the conductor, it does seem as if
people are just not bothering to buy a ticket and therefore paying up
only if a train check takes place.