Staff being difficult over attempts to break journey

[Djgr]

What makes anybody here think that gateline staff have intimate knowledge of restrictions on tickets unless it is written in black and white? Yes it is complicated and complex. Answer simplify the process. Not that difficult you would think.

It is way more complicated. We need to start again with the fares system. Perhaps study why other countries don't get in such a mess.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 May 2026 ==

If you don't understand the conditions of tickets, you shouldn't be preventing passengers traversing through the barriers.

And this is also absolutely the case.

Whatever system you have, it is pretty obvious that those who "police" it must understand it, and not just loiter.

 

[Hadders]

It is way more complicated. We need to start again with the fares system. Perhaps study why other countries don't get in such a mess.

With 2,500+ stations there is always going to be some complexity to rail tickets. It's never been easier to look up ticketing restrictions, every ticket tells you what the restriction code is and, once you know how to, looking it up online is simple.

The issue is there is very little education about any of this.

 

[redreni]

With 2,500+ stations there is always going to be some complexity to rail tickets. It's never been easier to look up ticketing restrictions, every ticket tells you what the restriction code is and, once you know how to, looking it up online is simple.

The issue is there is very little education about any of this.

You can look up ticketing restrictions, but the human readable restrictions are often ambiguous and/or do not align with the unpublished restriction data. So you have cases where a passenger may, quite properly, be using a ticket in a way NRE and licensed retailers' journey planners don't allow but which is in line with the restriction as written, and you will have other cases where the passenger may appear to be in breach of a written restriction but is following an itinerary that NRE offers with the ticket they hold, or which was sold against the ticket they hold by a licensed retailer.

These ambiguities don't crop up all the time, of course, and most of the time passengers could avoid trouble by either sticking to their booked itinerary or looking up and abiding by the restriction code on their ticket, I agree.

 

[Deerfold]

What makes anybody here think that gateline staff have intimate knowledge of restrictions on tickets unless it is written in black and white? Yes it is complicated and complex. Answer simplify the process. Not that difficult you would think.

There are places they can check where it's written in black and white.

 

[AlterEgo]

What makes anybody here think that gateline staff have intimate knowledge of restrictions on tickets unless it is written in black and white? Yes it is complicated and complex. Answer simplify the process. Not that difficult you would think.

It isn't that hard to type in nationalrail.co.uk/2c on your phone is it?

 

[Djgr]

It isn't that hard to type in nationalrail.co.uk/2c on your phone is it?

and not take a customer is always wrong attitude when staff knowledge is very partial.

 

[saismee]

It isn't that hard to type in nationalrail.co.uk/2c on your phone is it?

At busy periods we don't have enough time to do all of that to check restrictions while managing the crowds... which is why it's best to side with the customer and let them pass. Making a few mistakes and letting invalid tickets pass isn't the end of the world and it isn't going to make a dent in revenue (revenue that we don't even see).

I think it's always best to let it slide and allow travel (or exit) and then confirm the validity later as a learning exercise. If the passenger then receives a penalty, it is still on them to have bought the correct ticket in the first place.

 

[ctom_s]

I regularly used tickets where I'm ending early/breaking jounrey. I've never ended up arguing with anyone, but most of the time the barriers don't accept the ticket (paper ticket) and show a code 125 or 126 so you do need to have a chat.

 

[Mark J]

I had this at Gatwick Airport on Saturday.

A journey from Reading to Worthing, which had a near half an hour wait at Gatwick between connections.

Wanted to pop to the Greggs at the Airport for something to eat whilst waiting.

The barrier would not open to let me exit the station. A staff member asked where I was going before reluctantly opening the gate.

I had the same issue whilst going back into the station after I had eaten.

On the return trip, had the same amount of wait time and the same issues exiting and re-entering the Station.

Are breaks of journeys not allowed at Gatwick Airport?

My tickets were standard off-peak tickets - with restriction code W6, which as far as I know is not applicable on a Saturday. Indeed it was scanned OK by the Inspector on the GWR service on the outward journey!

 

[Watershed]

I had this at Gatwick Airport on Saturday.

A journey from Reading to Worthing, which had a near half an hour wait at Gatwick between connections.

Wanted to pop to the Greggs at the Airport for something to eat whilst waiting.

The barrier would not open to let me exit the station. A staff member asked where I was going before reluctantly opening the gate.

I had the same issue whilst going back into the station after I had eaten.

On the return trip, had the same amount of wait time and the same issues exiting and re-entering the Station.

Are breaks of journeys not allowed at Gatwick Airport?

My tickets were standard off-peak tickets - with restriction code W6, which as far as I know is not applicable on a Saturday. Indeed it was scanned OK by the Inspector on the GWR service on the outward journey!

They are absolutely allowed, you shouldn't be put through the Spanish inquisition but unfortunately most gateline staff are poorly trained (especially agency staff) and some make up their own rules.

 

[Mark J]

They are absolutely allowed, you shouldn't be put through the Spanish inquisition but unfortunately most gateline staff are poorly trained (especially agency staff) and some make up their own rules.

I was also surprised as I didn't expect there to be any issues with e-tickets.

Know that paper tickets can play up at the barriers - at times.

I've also had that problem at Clapham Junction before.

Paper tickets almost always never allow me to break the journey there using paper tickets.

However, no such problems with e-tickets.