Unstaffed barriers not accepting valid tickets

[redreni]

Just on my way home from Chesham. I needed to travel from a Zone 6 National Rail station in SE London to Chesham and back in a day and I hold a Network Railcard, so naturally I bought a Zones 1-6 Travelcard AAA Zones 7-9, as this is cheaper than two Contactless or Oyster single fares.

On the way in, the ticket barrier at Chesham didn't accept my ticket and there were no staff on hand to help. Nor is there an obvious help point on the paid side of the barrier. I ended up tailgating somebody and then asking at the "Information point" window to ascertain why my ticket had not been recognised (every barrier I had tried within Z1-6 had opened). The chap had zero interest - I had already passed the barrier and he was happy for me to leave.

On the way home at 9pm, the station was deserted but the barriers were still closed and still didn't accept my valid ticket. But this time, I had about 4 minutes to catch the last train I could sensibly catch and still get home. There is a help point, which I tried, but it took 2 minutes to get an answer. They put me on hold. So I had to force the barrier.

Surely this must be a regular occurrence, if they're going to charge more to use Contactless than to buy a Travelcard? How can a station have ticket barriers that are programmed to reject perfectly valid Travelcards but are left closed and unstaffed?

 

[Recessio]

I'm surprised that unstaffed barriers hadn't been set to stay open - is this not a safety risk?

 

[redreni]

I'm surprised that unstaffed barriers hadn't been set to stay open - is this not a safety risk?

I'm not sure. It's a getting to where you're going without being set back half an hour risk, that's for certain.

 

[pwiklund]

I presume you are referring to the 'paper' travelcards issued from ticket machines. It has happened to me on numerous times that the magnetic strip becomes unreadable after a while - and to the best of my knowledge, there is nowhere you can go to get it 're-issued' - they just don't offer that assistance; probably fearing fraud. Once this problem has happend there is no other way than to rely on gate staff manually letting you in and out.

It appears the magnetic strip is quite sensitive - I have found that keeping a physical travelcard in the spare slot of my old TfL Oyster Card holder (not sure they are still available though, mine is several years old), and only remove it when passing through gates, minimizes the risk of this problem.

 

[Benjwri]

I'm surprised that unstaffed barriers hadn't been set to stay open - is this not a safety risk?

They shouldn’t be left closed when unstaffed no, unfortunately it is becoming more common.

 

[redreni]

I presume you are referring to the 'paper' travelcards issued from ticket machines. It has happened to me on numerous times that the magnetic strip becomes unreadable after a while - and to the best of my knowledge, there is nowhere you can go to get it 're-issued' - they just don't offer that assistance; probably fearing fraud. Once this problem has happend there is no other way than to rely on gate staff manually letting you in and out.

It appears the magnetic strip is quite sensitive - I have found that keeping a physical travelcard in the spare slot of my old TfL Oyster Card holder (not sure they are still available though, mine is several years old), and only remove it when passing through gates, minimizes the risk of this problem.

Chesham (Zone 9) is the only station where the ticket wasn't accepted. I passed through barriers at other stations in zones 1-6 both before Chesham and subsequently, without issue.

The origin on the ticket was Brentwood and the destination was zones 1-6. It's only the route field that confers additional validity in zones 7-9. So my tentative conclusion is it just doesn't work the barriers at stations in zones 7-9. This is consistent with my previous experience using this ticket at Dartford: the barriers reject it. But the difference with Dartford is the barriers are manned, so it's not a big problem. If the barriers are unmanned then having the barriers set to reject valid tickets *is* a big problem.

 

[Segedunum]

I was travelling with my other half a couple of weeks ago through London when her ticket ended up demagnetised. I was shocked at how hard it was at some stations to actually get assistance - with staff either nowhere to be seen or hidden behind a window watching videos on their phones. It usually took several attempts to get someone's attention.

Gatelines shouldn't be left totally closed and unmanned (or with staff a million miles away), at all. I used to work on a gateline myself and if something else required my attention, the gates would be opened.

 

[Mattplans]

They shouldn’t be left closed when unstaffed no, unfortunately it is becoming more common.

Same station twice in the same day. Clearly it’s common practice at Chesham.

 

[redreni]

Same station twice in the same day. Clearly it’s common practice at Chesham.

The window was manned when I arrived at about 14:15, there just wasn't an obvious way to attract the chap's attention from the paid side of the barriers.

It would make more sense to have help points on both sides of the barrier rather than having both the (sometimes manned) window and the help point on the unpaid side, and nothing on the paid side (though, presumably, there must be a help point somewhere, possibly further along the platform).

The other problem is that, unlike at West Hampstead Thameslink (for instance), the help point doesn't have a camera on it for the purpose of remote manual inspection of tickets. The help point seemed to go to a control centre somewhere, and I am not at all sure the person at the other end who put me on hold would have been able to open the barrier remotely. I couldn't afford to wait to find out.

If I go there again I shall certainly factor in additional time for getting through the gateline, as I absolutely wouldn't want to make a habit of bumping the barrier. Nor would I want to miss a train when the next one isn't for another half an hour.

 

[Failed Unit]

I have had that happen at Northwick Park, Luckily I am health enough to leap the barriers. Glad Andy Jenerick

 

[Chriso]

The window was manned when I arrived at about 14:15, there just wasn't an obvious way to attract the chap's attention from the paid side of the barriers.

It would make more sense to have help points on both sides of the barrier rather than having both the (sometimes manned) window and the help point on the unpaid side, and nothing on the paid side (though, presumably, there must be a help point somewhere, possibly further along the platform).

The other problem is that, unlike at West Hampstead Thameslink (for instance), the help point doesn't have a camera on it for the purpose of remote manual inspection of tickets. The help point seemed to go to a control centre somewhere, and I am not at all sure the person at the other end who put me on hold would have been able to open the barrier remotely. I couldn't afford to wait to find out.

If I go there again I shall certainly factor in additional time for getting through the gateline, as I absolutely wouldn't want to make a habit of bumping the barrier. Nor would I want to miss a train when the next one isn't for another half an hour.

The help pint on the side gateline by the original ticket office is linked to the attendant on the main gateline who oversees both sets of gates.

 

[Mojo]

I may be missing something but if there was someone at the window by the gateline (the old excess fares window presumably, albeit without the coin tray anymore), then the gateline was not unstaffed?

This is the method of operation for almost all LU stations that are single staffed, with staff present inside the secure suite as opposed to being in the gateline attendants post or standing in the ticket hall.

 

[redreni]

I may be missing something but if there was someone at the window by the gateline (the old excess fares window presumably, albeit without the coin tray anymore), then the gateline was not unstaffed?

This is the method of operation for almost all LU stations that are single staffed, with staff present inside the secure suite as opposed to being in the gateline attendants post or standing in the ticket hall.

It was not unstaffed at 14:15. It was unstaffed at 21:00, as mentioned at post #1.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jan 2026 ==

The help pint on the side gateline by the original ticket office is linked to the attendant on the main gateline who oversees both sets of gates.

Both sets of gates?

 

[Chriso]

It was not unstaffed at 14:15. It was unstaffed at 21:00, as mentioned at post #1.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jan 2026 ==


Both sets of gates?

Yes both the main gateline and also remotely operates the other one on the other side of the station with the video help point.

Common situation on GTR.

 

[Sonic1234]

TfL are terrible for leaving gates unstaffed, because they grade stations on how long the barriers are in operation for so local management are incentivised not to open them, and also because "everyone" uses Oyster and Contactless so issues are rare.

There will be an emergency release button inside the gates if you are stuck and no one comes. Not on the outside, if you're trying to get in though.

Another TfL trick is to open the wide gate only, this apparently fools the software that the barriers are closed and keeps the station in the good books.

 

[Starmill]

I arrived at Kilburn High Road, admittedly a non-LU station, to find the same situation recently. I had a similar case of such a ticket bought at the ticket office at London Euston but of course it didn't let me out. It was later in the evening so I am fairly sure single staffed at that time and after 5 minutes someone came back carrying a takeaway bag and let me out.

 

[redreni]

Yes both the main gateline and also remotely operates the other one on the other side of the station with the video help point.

Common situation on GTR.

Ah, you're on about West Hampstead Thameslink, I thought you were on about Chesham. I thought perhaps I'd completely failed to a second gateline!

Yes, I appreciate what the setup is at West Hampstead Thameslink, my point was if they're going to leave a closed gateline unattended and rely on help points, whoever is on the other end of that helpline really should have a way of seeing the customer who is seeking help, inspecting their ticket and opening the gate remotely if appropriate. I'm sure the technology exists to do this from literally anywhere in the world (even though I'm sure the RMT would have something to say about it if the person pressing buttons wasn't based at the station).

 

[Mojo]

my point was if they're going to leave a closed gateline unattended and rely on help points, whoever is on the other end of that helpline really should have a way of seeing the customer who is seeking help, inspecting their ticket and opening the gate remotely if appropriate. I'm sure the technology exists to do this from literally anywhere in the world (even though I'm sure the RMT would have something to say about it if the person pressing buttons wasn't based at the station).

It is not within LU or TfL policy to have remotely operated gatelines like this, hence why they don't have camera operated help points to check tickets. Either the gateline is unstaffed and the gates are open, or the gates are closed and there are staff in the ticket hall or office to assist.

If there was indeed nobody to assist, then it is worth making a complaint.

 

[redreni]

TfL are terrible for leaving gates unstaffed, because they grade stations on how long the barriers are in operation for so local management are incentivised not to open them, and also because "everyone" uses Oyster and Contactless so issues are rare.

Thanks, yeah. Some of the Maidenhead-based Maidenhead fans who went the long way around via train and tube to Chesham reported that they'd been told "there is no such thing as a Zones 1-9 Travelcard" when they tried to buy one at Maidenhead ticket office. Possibly true that there isn't an outboundary one priced from Maidenhead, but a little common sense to sell an inboundary one plus a cheap day return to Boundary Zone 6 would have cost them £17.25 each with Railcard or GroupSave discount for the return journey rather than the £24.40 Contactless cap they ended up paying. So maybe there aren't many people using National Rail-issued Z1-6 AAA Z7-9 Travelcards, because ticket offices don't sell them unless you really insist. I had to ask several times, in several different ways, before I managed to buy mine at Waterloo. And maybe the one you can buy from LU ticket machines works the barriers. Who knows?

 

[Sonic1234]

And maybe the one you can buy from LU ticket machines works the barriers

Last time I bought a ticket from a LU ticket machine I got a demagnetised bit of pink card with a splodge of ink on it. Luckily the barriers I encountered were staffed and no one questioned it.

A fare dodgers dream!

 

[Chriso]

West Hampstead LU and most smaller Mert line stations are bad for this. I have had to barge the wide gate at Ruislip many a time due to no staff been in the office

 

[Sonic1234]

West Hampstead LU and most smaller Mert line stations are bad for this. I have had to barge the wide gate at Ruislip many a time due to no staff been in the office

If you're trying to get out, press the emergency release on the control panel. Hopefully gets the station in trouble too.

 

[Chriso]

If you're trying to get out, press the emergency release on the control panel. Hopefully gets the station in trouble too.

Will do this next time

 

[SeaSquid]

As someone else who uses unstaffed met stations this is really annoying and doesn't just happen at Chesham.

 

[JulienD]

I presume you are referring to the 'paper' travelcards issued from ticket machines. It has happened to me on numerous times that the magnetic strip becomes unreadable after a while - and to the best of my knowledge, there is nowhere you can go to get it 're-issued' - they just don't offer that assistance; probably fearing fraud. Once this problem has happend there is no other way than to rely on gate staff manually letting you in and out.

It appears the magnetic strip is quite sensitive - I have found that keeping a physical travelcard in the spare slot of my old TfL Oyster Card holder (not sure they are still available though, mine is several years old), and only remove it when passing through gates, minimizes the risk of this problem.

I have a GWR ITSO smartcard and usually whack my London travelcards on there. I have had that paper ticket stop working multiple times and once it even blew onto the tracks. I have the travelcard in a wallet on my sunflower lanyard!

 

[Jim the Jim]

I had a similar experience at Highams Park recently. Paper travelcard with a Network Railcard, didn't work on the barriers either morning or afternoon, worked fine at multiple other stations before and after. In this case however there were staff around, though on the way back that meant walking to the ticket office window.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

I had a similar experience at Highams Park recently. Paper travelcard with a Network Railcard, didn't work on the barriers either morning or afternoon, worked fine at multiple other stations before and after. In this case however there were staff around, though on the way back that meant walking to the ticket office window.

Enfield Town is a place where I find Paper Travelcards with an NSE Discount never work for me. Always been allowed through though (albeit once with the Gateliner peering at my ticket as if they'd never encountered such a thing before)

 

[Snow1964]

There is a help point, which I tried, but it took 2 minutes to get an answer. They put me on hold. So I had to force the barrier.

The help point put you on hold !!

What if you had said someone was threatening you, or you feel stranded by the gate and vulnerable. What would they have done then if they expect you to hold when there is a problem?

 

[stadler]

This is becoming a bigger problem at stations on the London Underground in recent years. So many stations have the barriers shut but unattended. I come across this somewhere every week. They are supposed to be left open but in reality a lot of staff will just pop in to their office and leave the barriers unattended for a while.

For some reason there seems to be a few random tube stations that reject perfectly valid travelcard tickets. It is not an issue with the magstripe as they work fine everywhere else. So it is probably wrongly programmed barriers. The other major issue is those Steatite printers that the guards have. They are awful at properly encoding magstripes on tickets. I often buy travelcards from guards and at least 10% of the time (maybe even 25% of the time) the tickets fail to work any barriers.

I always just force open the wide aisle barrier whenever this happens. If there is no staff there and you have a valid ticket then i see no issue with this. I end up having to do this at least a few times a month. They are supposed to have staff standing by the barriers. So if they fail to do that then i am not standing around for hours waiting for somewhere to appear. I just push the wide aisle barrier open.

TFL really need to crack down on their staff doing this. They need to issue a reminder that the barriers must be left open if you need to pop in to this office or go on a break. I remember years ago it was almost unheard of for staff to leave the barriers closed but unattended. It is only in recent years that this keeps happening.

 

[Recessio]

TFL really need to crack down on their staff doing this. They need to issue a reminder that the barriers must be left open if you need to pop in to this office or go on a break. I remember years ago it was almost unheard of for staff to leave the barriers closed but unattended. It is only in recent years that this keeps happening.

I worry that one day there's going to be a situation at a station (like the false alarm at Oxford Circus a few years back) that could lead to a crush event at an unstaffed but closed gateline. I doubt most regular punters know about the red emergency plunger, and forcing a wide access gate is not an acceptable alternative to staff members actually doing their jobs correctly.