RailSail Irish Rail issued ticket - valid on Tube?

[yorkie]

I used the same type of ticket last year when returning to Woking from Dublin, after the ash cloud cancelled my return flight. I had to explain the ticket briefly at the Euston LU barrier, and I had no problem getting out at Waterloo.

LU CSA staff are very variable. They range from excellent to diabolical. Given the amount they get paid (around £25,000 - more than me and I have to use my initiative and can't just blame "lack of training"!) they should all be decent, sadly that simply is not the case.

 

[FGWman]

Just to add I do believe that some years ago LU said they would no longer accept paper tickets. Around 2004 I believe. Any paper ticket needs a gate pass if t is to be valid on the underground. So perhaps you should have ben given one when you purchased the ticket.

 

[Mojo]

Just to add I do believe that some years ago LU said they would no longer accept paper tickets. Around 2004 I believe. Any paper ticket needs a gate pass if t is to be valid on the underground. So perhaps you should have ben given one when you purchased the ticket.

I have not heard of this.

Given TfL occasionally issue non-machine readable authorities to travel, then I am not sure about this.

 

[island]

And on a more pragmatic point, I seriously doubt Iarnród Éireann has the capacity to issue tickets that are readable by LU ticket gates! It has enough difficulty with its own.

 

[First class]

I have not heard of this.

Given TfL occasionally issue non-machine readable authorities to travel, then I am not sure about this.

Neither have I.

RSP4407/08 paper tickets are still permitted to use a cross London indicator, (+) for use on LU.

 

[radamfi]

Also, aren't RailSail tickets available from Irish Ferries ticket office at Dublin Port? What kind of design of ticket do you get there?

I was surprised to get a handwritten ticket from the Irish Rail ticket office though, given that they normally issue credit card sized printed tickets for domestic travel.

 

[island]

I was surprised to get a handwritten ticket from the Irish Rail ticket office though, given that they normally issue credit card sized printed tickets for domestic travel.

I wouldn't be. The IÉ ticket issuing machines don't have enough memory.

 

[Yew]

1). Part of my job description is to "protect revenue on the gateline"
2). I do not personally feel I recieve adequate training on non-LUL issued tickets
3). There is no place we can go to check a vadility whilst on the gateline.

2 and 3 could be easily remidied by examples of non LU tickets that are vaild being printed on a poster (attatched in a reasonably descreet location like next to the ticket office, or on a pillar near the gateline) or a laminated peice of card hanging around near the gate (maybe on a peice of string attatched somwhere)

Also, do you have raidos or anything that you could quickly ask a manager/control office?

 

[Flying Snail]

Just to add I do believe that some years ago LU said they would no longer accept paper tickets. Around 2004 I believe. Any paper ticket needs a gate pass if t is to be valid on the underground. So perhaps you should have ben given one when you purchased the ticket.

If IE were in a position to issue LU compatible tickets then the logical thing would be to just issue the Sail-Rail on such a ticket rather than write out a paper ticket and give a LU gate pass. If LU want to enforce that rule then in the case of international tickets they should arrange to provide a free gate pass from their ticket offices for holders of valid tickets.

Also, aren't RailSail tickets available from Irish Ferries ticket office at Dublin Port? What kind of design of ticket do you get there?

I was surprised to get a handwritten ticket from the Irish Rail ticket office though, given that they normally issue credit card sized printed tickets for domestic travel.

You would have gotten an identical ticket at Irish Ferries or Stena Line offices, as unlikely as it is that IE would arrange to issue NR/LU compatible tickets there is no way the ferry companies would bother.

As the majority of these tickets issued in Ireland are for main destinations London, Birmingham, Manchester, etc the problem of LU transfers is a rare one. Most passengers do not realise they can get the tickets issued to minor stations at the same price.

 

[Daniel]

2 and 3 could be easily remidied by examples of non LU tickets that are vaild being printed on a poster (attatched in a reasonably descreet location like next to the ticket office, or on a pillar near the gateline) or a laminated peice of card hanging around near the gate (maybe on a peice of string attatched somwhere)

Also, do you have raidos or anything that you could quickly ask a manager/control office?

Ticket validity is a complex issue when you look towards the National Rail system, I personally don't believe it can be summarised on a poster.

Yes, we do have radios, but managers / control office staff have less knowledge on ticketing than gateline staff. Indeed, although I am gateline staff I hold a ticket office licence so have more knowledge than a standard CSA, although I still do not personally feel that I have been fully train on NR ticket validity's.

 

[Railjet]

I didn't say it is the ideal situation. Considering London Undergrounds training does not cover national rail tickets, as a member of gateline staff, I see it logical to advise the customer to purchase a new ticket, and when the original is found to be valid, a refund and apology issued.

It is not the ideal situation, and it is an inconvenience to the customer - however it is something that should be dealt with by LU as a company, with regards to training. As a member of staff on the gateline, who has no impact on training and whose suggestions are not listened too, I feel comfortable in rejecting a ticket and advising that the customer contacts the CSC to confirm the vadility and issue a refund.

3 facts:

1). Part of my job description is to "protect revenue on the gateline"
2). I do not personally feel I recieve adequate training on non-LUL issued tickets
3). There is no place we can go to check a vadility whilst on the gateline.

Considering those 3 things I believe I would have acted in the same manner. I do not feel it is the best for the customer. But with the situation you find yourself in when working on the barrier, this is how it has to be.

You seem like a reasonable guy.

But now you know that (apparently) this particular type of ticket is valid, would you let it through?

 

[Daniel]

You seem like a reasonable guy.

Thank you. Frankly, if I am unsure of validity, I will do my best to find out - I do recall googling a "BritRail" pass on my iPhone as a customer insisted it was valid on LU - (their website stated it wasn't)!

But now you know that (apparently) this particular type of ticket is valid, would you let it through?

I am constantly open to learning, and, although I haven't seen proof of validity in front of me, the member who confirmed in this thread, (that it is valid on LU), is someone whose knowledge I trust, and as such, yes, I would accept this in future if I encountered it.

 

[Mojo]

2 and 3 could be easily remidied by examples of non LU tickets that are vaild being printed on a poster (attatched in a reasonably descreet location like next to the ticket office, or on a pillar near the gateline) or a laminated peice of card hanging around near the gate (maybe on a peice of string attatched somwhere).

There should be no need for this as it is company policy that staff working on the gateline should have access to a reference book which has photos and details of all the tickets they are likely to expect, and it is quite comprehensive. However, I have not seen this specific type of ticket in there, nor mentioned anywhere (is it even in the Manual for BR staff?!)

I understand though that staff on gatelines do not always have a copy of this book to hand, which given the fact it can be printed from the Intranet should not really be an excuse.

 

[jon0844]

I hope this one is in there as I intend to start using it tomorrow.



I hope the mistake on the word 'and' isn't a problem. I did try to correct it to save issuing a new one.

 

[wintonian]

Just to add in to the mix as I will be traveling back on one of these later this month with a friend. I paid for the tube last time thinking it wasn’t valid

I attach a scanned copy of the CIV T&C’s printed on the inside of the front cover of a railsail ticket issued at Connolly for discussion. Incidentally I understand that these tickets are not valid without the wallet/ cover.

 

[wintonian]

For completeness I also enclose the rest of the ticket – the two pages I haven’t scanned are blank.

 

[bb21]

Be more helpful if I didn't have to twist my head to read it

 

[Mojo]

Now I'm not a graphologist, but it looks like you both had the same guy issue your tickets. And he made an error on wintonian's tickets too!

 

[bb21]

I wonder how many more tickets to London they issue as opposed to elsewhere seeing that their/his mind(s) were/was automatically tuned to London.

 

[wintonian]

Be more helpful if I didn't have to twist my head to read it

Sorry, you can twist the screen though

Now I'm not a graphologist, but it looks like you both had the same guy issue your tickets. And he made an error on wintonian's tickets too!

No, just looked at them side by side and I think the handwriting is distinctly different.

By error do you mean the lack of a '+'? I doubt that’s something Iarnród Éireann know much about or even care about, being more concerned about the CIV conditions.

I wonder how many more tickets to London they issue as opposed to elsewhere seeing that their/his mind(s) were/was automatically tuned to London.

I thought that when I had mine issued, but then you kind of expect London to be popular.

 

[island]

I understand page 4

 

[Mojo]

No; they both wrote (or started to write) London, and scribbled it out.

 

[radamfi]

Firstly, I told the clerk at Dublin Connolly that I wanted a RailSail ticket to Three Bridges, explaining that it was south of London. When the clerk wrote 'London', I said that wouldn't do as I wouldn't be able to continue my trip further south of London. He said that he normally wrote 'London' for any station in the London area. I said that Three Bridges was actually some distance from London, nearer to Brighton.

He then looked up his list of British stations on a sheet of A4 and Three Bridges wasn't on the list. I then asked him if Crawley was on there and it wasn't there either. Eventually I said, "Surely you must have Brighton?" and it was on there. So he crossed out London and wrote Brighton. I thought that would look really dodgy but after he wrote 'Dublin - Brighton' on the front I was reasonably satisfied.

 

[wintonian]

No; they both wrote (or started to write) London, and scribbled it out.

Oh I see, I think there just so used to writing London that he went into auto mode.

Firstly, I told the clerk at Dublin Connolly that I wanted a RailSail ticket to Three Bridges, explaining that it was south of London. When the clerk wrote 'London', I said that wouldn't do as I wouldn't be able to continue my trip further south of London. He said that he normally wrote 'London' for any station in the London area. I said that Three Bridges was actually some distance from London, nearer to Brighton.

He then looked up his list of British stations on a sheet of A4 and Three Bridges wasn't on the list. I then asked him if Crawley was on there and it wasn't there either. Eventually I said, "Surely you must have Brighton?" and it was on there. So he crossed out London and wrote Brighton. I thought that would look really dodgy but after he wrote 'Dublin - Brighton' on the front I was reasonably satisfied.

Yep they looked me up in their big book of stations, I've notice that the list of stations in an old NFM is somewhat lacking with some largish stations missing whilst a lot of small stations are included.

The whole process is considerably quicker than it is here.

 

[radamfi]

Yep they looked me up in their big book of stations, I've notice that the list of stations in an old NFM is somewhat lacking with some largish stations missing whilst a lot of small stations are included.

The whole process is considerably quicker than it is here.

I had a quick look at his list of stations and I did notice Three Oaks was there, which is somewhat less important than Three Bridges or Crawley.

I noticed that they merely wrote out a sea coupon but there was no specific sailing written on it. If you buy it in GB then you are supposed to get a reservation for a specific boat and that takes some time.

 

[wintonian]

When I asked at Reading the other week about ferry reservations the clerk went and asked his colleague, came back and told me there was a note on the notice board saying that reservations were no longer needed.

 

[paul1609]

A sailrail ticket from Rye to Dublin (valid on HS1) is 10p cheaper than the Anytime single to London St Pancras (Route HS1)!

 

[transportphoto]

A sailrail ticket from Rye to Dublin (valid on HS1) is 10p cheaper than the Anytime single to London St Pancras (Route HS1)!

I guess you use that one alot then!

 

[radamfi]

Why was a reservation required? In the old days you just got a ticket to Dublin or Dún Laoghaire so I don't understand why they started to insist on a reservation.

 

[wintonian]

I guess you use that one alot then!

No I have only ever used then to cross the Irish Sea and it would be wrong to do otherwise not least as ATOC might get rid of them if they are abused.