Harper confirms GBR to go ahead

[Fazaar1889]

Just to point out in very BBC style, "other ticket providers are available" -- most rail ticketing apps these days will provide the option for a ticket which you can scan from your phone. There are some caveats in that some specific types of tickets are not yet available in digital form, but the vast majority are now in my personal experience.

Ah I had no idea! I'll definitely check that out!

At the top of the forum website you'll find an option for tickets where you can buy tickets in both paper and digital form, which was introduced a few months ago and helps to support the forum; you'll find a thread about it here. Alternatively, here's a link straight to the booking engine - https://tickets.railforums.co.uk

This forum keeps on giving... I'll definitely be checking this when I need a ticket next time

 

[WizCastro197]

I didn't either until a couple months ago and its actually quite convenient. There's an app called Trainline where you:
1. Enter your two stations
2. Select return/single/etc...
3. Tap the train you want to go on
4. Choose the cheapest ticket available. (off peak tickets will only show for off peak trains I'm pretty sure...)
It gives you two QR codes arranged nicely in a tab for 'out' and 'return'. Just scan the QR code on the scanner at the rail station if it has it. (if not, just show it to a rail worker, they'll let you through) The scanner is this thing: View attachment 128714
I was quite afraid of using at first but its now my preferred way of of getting a ticket. No need to faff with the annoying, dirty ticket machines. The app should have this logo:
View attachment 128715

I use it to check train timings as well cos idk how else to do it lol. The platform predictions have been accurate 100% of the time for me, I'm not sure about others tho...

I wouldn’t use Trainline, they charge booking fees and you can get it cheaper through a TOC website, or a popular choice I’ve seen is to book the train through the forums’ ticketing site that will ‘split’ the ticket at a station and it works out cheaper.

 

[Fazaar1889]

I wouldn’t use Trainline, they charge booking fees and you can get it cheaper through a TOC website

I'd heard of this but I've never seen a price difference in the tickets I've bought

 

[WizCastro197]

I'd heard of this but I've never seen a price difference in the tickets I've bought

I have worded that a little wrongly, I meant you don't receive the booking fee through TOC website, therefore in the end it is slightly cheaper than booking through Trainline. I get that they [Trainline] have to make money somehow, but they offer no special service so I find no reason to book through Trainline when I can book through TOC.

 

[Fazaar1889]

I have worded that a little wrongly, I meant you don't receive the booking fee through TOC website, therefore in the end it is slightly cheaper than booking through Trainline. I get that they [Trainline] have to make money somehow, but they offer no special service so I find no reason to book through Trainline when I can book through TOC.

Nah I got you dw aha. But yeah fair enough

 

[45669]

I didn't either until a couple months ago and its actually quite convenient. There's an app called Trainline where you:
1. Enter your two stations
2. Select return/single/etc...
3. Tap the train you want to go on
4. Choose the cheapest ticket available. (off peak tickets will only show for off peak trains I'm pretty sure...)
It gives you two QR codes arranged nicely in a tab for 'out' and 'return'. Just scan the QR code on the scanner at the rail station if it has it. (if not, just show it to a rail worker, they'll let you through) The scanner is this thing: View attachment 128714
I was quite afraid of using at first but its now my preferred way of of getting a ticket. No need to faff with the annoying, dirty ticket machines. The app should have this logo:
View attachment 128715

I use it to check train timings as well cos idk how else to do it lol. The platform predictions have been accurate 100% of the time for me, I'm not sure about others tho...

How do you go about buying two tickets? My wife is with me on most journeys.

 

[WizCastro197]

How do you go about buying two tickets? My wife is with me on most journeys.

If you want to book with Trainline, which I highly discourage, press the drop down menu where it says: 1 Adult (16+), then select 2 adults.

 

[45669]

If you want to book with Trainline, which I highly discourage, press the drop down menu where it says: 1 Adult (16+), then select 2 adults.

But if the tickets are on the phone and it needs to be scanned on the scanner thingy on the gateline, how do you get the gates to open twice?

 

[WizCastro197]

But if the tickets are on the phone and it needs to be scanned on the scanner thingy on the gateline, how do you get the gates to open twice?

Can you email/send your wife's tickets to her, so she can scan through the gates separately, ie., you both go through gates by yourselves?

 

[Fazaar1889]

How do you go about buying two tickets? My wife is with me on most journeys.

There is a drop down menu where you can select the number of people

But if the tickets are on the phone and it needs to be scanned on the scanner thingy on the gateline, how do you get the gates to open twice?

Assuming your wife also has a smartphone, you can log into your account on the app on her phone and the tickets will be there as well

 

[45669]

Can you email/send your wife's tickets to her, so she can scan through the gates separately, ie., you both go through gates by yourselves?

We both have the same shared e-mail address, so I'd be e-mailing myself. I'd then have to go through the gate line and then lean over it to pass the phone back to her so that she could scan the scanner thingy. What a palaver that would be - especially when we arrive at Waterloo and there's a whole train load of people all descending on the gateline at the same time!

So much easier to have two separate tickets so we can have one each; we can even go through different gates at busy times.

 

[Fazaar1889]

We both have the same shared e-mail address, so I'd be e-mailing myself. I'd then have to go through the gate line and then lean over it to pass the phone back to her so that she could scan the scanner thingy. What a palaver that would be - especially when we arrive at Waterloo and there's a whole train load of people all descending on the gateline at the same time!

So much easier to have two separate tickets so we can have one each; we can even go through different gates at busy times.

May I ask, does your wife not have her own smartphone? It's an assumption to have one when using digital tickets.

 

[zwk500]

We both have the same shared e-mail address, so I'd be e-mailing myself. I'd then have to go through the gate line and then lean over it to pass the phone back to her so that she could scan the scanner thingy. What a palaver that would be - especially when we arrive at Waterloo and there's a whole train load of people all descending on the gateline at the same time!

So much easier to have two separate tickets so we can have one each; we can even go through different gates at busy times.

You can also scan one ticket, let your wife through, then scan the 2nd ticket and walk through.

 

[45669]

There is a drop down menu where you can select the number of people

Assuming your wife also has a smartphone, you can log into your account on the app on her phone and the tickets will be there as well

No, we share the e-mail address and we share the phone. Sorry. I really don't understand apps! I only bough a smart phone as I needed a spare camera and the one I've got takes pretty good photos and video.

Give me - us - two separate proper tickets any day.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Feb 2023 ==

You can also scan one ticket, let your wife through, then scan the 2nd ticket and walk through.

That would make sense - ladies first of course!

 

[Facing Back]

May I ask, does your wife not have her own smartphone? It's an assumption to have one when using digital tickets.

I booked a weekend away for the pair of us and had no problem with 2 tickets on 1 phone.

 

[45669]

May I ask, does your wife not have her own smartphone? It's an assumption to have one when using digital tickets.

No, she uses mine on the odd occasion that she needs to. Her mobile phone is just that. A phone. Most of the time, that's all she needs. She says that having a great big smart phone would make her handbag too heavy.

 

[zwk500]

That would make sense - ladies first of course!

Of course (or in this modern age you could ask your wife to scan the tickets and chivalrously check the way is clear first )

As long as the gates close between you so it's obvious you're not tailgating there'll be no problem. Plenty of people scan Credit Card tickets through the barriers for others e.g. groups/children.

 

[Fazaar1889]

No, she uses mine on the odd occasion that she needs to. Her mobile phone is just that. A phone. Most of the time, that's all she needs.

Ah fair enough. I didn't realise. I can see why you'd prefer paper tickets then. If they did get fully phased out, then it would be a little awkward. I see that you're from the southeast, perhaps project oval reaches your station and you'll only need a railcard to get to London. other than that, paper would possibly be best for you. Maybe you could print off the tickets before hand?

 

[45669]

Ah fair enough. I didn't realise. I can see why you'd prefer paper tickets then. If they did get fully phased out, then it would be a little awkward. I see that you're from the southeast, perhaps project oval reaches your station and you'll only need a railcard to get to London. other than that, paper would possibly be best for you. Maybe you could print off the tickets before hand?

I'm not familiar with project oval. Anything to do with cricket?

 

[Dr Day]

For me the issue is that advance tickets are fine for the kind of long distance journeys that you plan long in advance.

Absolutely. A further bugbear for me is the fact the operators, naturally, seem to focus on where their trains are going, hence, I suppose 'their' customers and not consider the actual station-station journey being made, which could involve more than one operator (either on shared routes or interchange or both). I may be making a short distance journey on a long distance train, or similarly a long distance journey on a succession of shorter distance trains, and fares and ticketing should reflect suitable options for the trip I'm making regardless of the type of operator. I don't necessarily want to be tied down to a specific route either both outward and back, and neither does say Mr Harper making a day return journey from central London to his constituency in Lydney where, depending on the time of day and direction the fastest journey could be via Severn Tunnel Junction/Newport, Gloucester/Cheltenham or even Birmingham.

I was hoping GBR would take a more strategic cross-TOC look at where passengers are actually travelling (preferably even more at door-to-door journeys including rail-heading rather than station-station) on corridor or wider route alternatives rather than persist with some of the petty operator specific fares. Clearly there is some benefit in giving people a choice and managing demand between a slower service and a faster one, as BR did for Reading/Didcot/Oxford, but not where it is of no net benefit to the railway overall.

 

[Fazaar1889]

I'm not familiar with project oval. Anything to do with cricket?

Not cricket no

Project Oval: TfL win DfT contract to expand contactless system to 233 rail stations by May 2024, Railcards coming to contactless payment cards

TfL have won the DfT's contract to expand their contactless payment system to 233 rail stations by May 2024, which also includes the requirement to allow Railcards and concessionary discounts to be added to contactless payment cards Phase 1 Contactless payments in 53 stations – majority due...

www.railforums.co.uk

This thread should be helpful. I think Farnborough is just in it?

 

[45669]

Not cricket no

Project Oval: TfL win DfT contract to expand contactless system to 233 rail stations by May 2024, Railcards coming to contactless payment cards

TfL have won the DfT's contract to expand their contactless payment system to 233 rail stations by May 2024, which also includes the requirement to allow Railcards and concessionary discounts to be added to contactless payment cards Phase 1 Contactless payments in 53 stations – majority due...

www.railforums.co.uk

This thread should be helpful. I think Farnborough is just in it?

There's 21 pages in that thread, so I haven't got time to wade through them all. And I don't understand all the jargon on the few that I have read. Still, I think I've got the general gist. But according to the map, the scheme ends at Brookwood, so Farnborough is just outside it. Perhaps that's why I wasn't aware of it.

It all sounds a bit scary to me!

 

[Parjon]

We both have the same shared e-mail address, so I'd be e-mailing myself. I'd then have to go through the gate line and then lean over it to pass the phone back to her so that she could scan the scanner thingy. What a palaver that would be - especially when we arrive at Waterloo and there's a whole train load of people all descending on the gateline at the same time!

So much easier to have two separate tickets so we can have one each; we can even go through different gates at busy times.

If it's a barcode ticket you can print it so you can give her a paper copy. It will scan

 

[Fazaar1889]

There's 21 pages in that thread, so I haven't got time to wade through them all. And I don't understand all the jargon on the few that I have read. Still, I think I've got the general gist. But according to the map, the scheme ends at Brookwood, so Farnborough is just outside it. Perhaps that's why I wasn't aware of it.

It all sounds a bit scary to me!

Aw no! Yeah I didn't read the thread. Thr map is the only thing that's really relevant. If you were in the zone, you'd just tap your credit/debit card on a scanner and hop on a train to London and tap out there. Much like on the tube

 

[45669]

Aw no! Yeah I didn't read the thread. The map is the only thing that's really relevant. If you were in the zone, you'd just tap your credit/debit card on a scanner and hop on a train to London and tap out there. Much like on the tube

Most of my travels on London Transport, and we even main line railways in the London area, are made using a one day travel card. Nothing could be simper than that, so why change it? I can go where I like, when I like, and make up my itinerary as I go.

 

[Energy]

No, we share the e-mail address and we share the phone. Sorry. I really don't understand apps! I only bough a smart phone as I needed a spare camera and the one I've got takes pretty good photos and video.

Give me - us - two separate proper tickets any day.

You can print of the eticket, its just a qr code which will scan fine. I find it more convenient than collecting from a station.

 

[45669]

You can print of the eticket, its just a qr code which will scan fine. I find it more convenient than collecting from a station.

I've already said, I don't understand apps, QR codes and any of that stuff. I only bought a smart phone because I wanted a simple and lightweight spare camera. Unfortunately, as I've got older, I've found luffing a camera bag full of DSLRs, lenses, camcorders, etc. around was just getting too heavy for me. So I've had to cut down on the stuff I carry around and as smart phone cameras have got better and better I finally succumbed and shelled out for one.

So, as far as I'm concerned, it's a small and lightweight camera that I can have in my pocket when I don't want to cart a whole bagful of camera, etc. around. As a bonus, I can also ring people up with it and say, "I'm on the train!"

 

[Worldwide]

Of what use is that? The majority of passengers cannot use just any train - it may be physically impossible for those who live outside Manchester unless you drive into Piccadilly to catch the first train of the day, and very few if anybody will want to arrive at Euston at midnight either. This lottery system is stupid although a very few people will like it. Another pie in the sky idea Avanti conjured up, when they should be focusing on providing the core service better.

You can select the time frame for preference of travel such as between 09.00 - 12.00

 

[Energy]

I've already said, I don't understand apps, QR codes and any of that stuff. I only bought a smart phone because I wanted a simple and lightweight spare camera. Unfortunately, as I've got older, I've found luffing a camera bag full of DSLRs, lenses, camcorders, etc. around was just getting too heavy for me. So I've had to cut down on the stuff I carry around and as smart phone cameras have got better and better I finally succumbed and shelled out for one.

So, as far as I'm concerned, it's a small and lightweight camera that I can have in my pocket when I don't want to cart a whole bagful of camera, etc. around. As a bonus, I can also ring people up with it and say, "I'm on the train!"

Fair enough, for outside of London there will be plenty of TVMs but with receipt paper instead. Don't know about around London.

 

[domcoop7]

It'll certainly have reduced post COVID, yes, though in my experience they used to arrive for their MKC stop about half full and MKC commuters would fill them.

mod note MKC = Miklton Keynes Central

Yes must say although I haven't really done the journey since Covid when I used to do it in Virgin days, Wigan / Warringotn to Euston was pretty well occupied even in First Class. And coming back in peak times was pretty much standing room only and the famous Euston scramble when the platform is announced, even with their ridiculous ticket prices and having lengthened them to 11 cars only a few years prior. That to me says that capacity is the issue and demand pricing (and HS2) could make a big difference!