Barriers - Rochdale this time

[TBirdFrank]

So I went to Rochdale to buy my friend's ticket to college in the morning.

Some moron has authorised the placing of barriers in the subway between the pavement (footfall) and access to the booking office (place of business) Just what clown puts a deterrent between the client and the cash desk?? I can just see this happening at Sainsburys or your local offie - but the railway industry - gun foot - BANG - again!

As an ex railwayman I simply flashed my pass and was let through - but Joe Public who knows **** all about railways - Confused.com R Us!

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is quite possibly the most stupid thing I have ever seen done on the railway, and allegedly it’s being done somewhere else too.

Northern really are thick as the proverbial.

 

[Altfish]

I think you will find it is a franchise requirement and the likes of Northern Rail have no choice in the matter.
It's happened at Stockport too, but (I think) that was Virgin

 

[185143]

I think you will find it is a franchise requirement and the likes of Northern Rail have no choice in the matter.
It's happened at Stockport too, but (I think) that was Virgin

It was Virgin but with two key differences. One being that the main station entrance still has access to the ticket office (and Platform 0 as Virgin don't serve that platform so refused to barrier it. 'Allegedly')

Secondly being that VTWC rarely seem to man their barriers outside of peak hours!

 

[47802]

So I went to Rochdale to buy my friend's ticket to college in the morning.

Some moron has authorised the placing of barriers in the subway between the pavement (footfall) and access to the booking office (place of business) Just what clown puts a deterrent between the client and the cash desk?? I can just see this happening at Sainsburys or your local offie - but the railway industry - gun foot - BANG - again!

As an ex railwayman I simply flashed my pass and was let through - but Joe Public who knows **** all about railways - Confused.com R Us!

The mind boggles

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I think you will find it is a franchise requirement and the likes of Northern Rail have no choice in the matter.
It's happened at Stockport too, but (I think) that was Virgin

The only stations that required ticket gates to be installed as per the franchise agreement were Liverpool Lime Street, Salford Crescent, Wigan Wallgate, Blackburn, Bolton, Bratfud Forster Square, Halifax and Harrogate. I believe all bar Blackburn in that list have been completed, that being the station rumoured to receive the same treatment Rochdale has owing to its awkward layout. I am not aware of any further stipulations that have been made by the DfT since that agreement, but Northern have certainly gone for it as far as gating is concerned: Hartlepool, Barrow and Warrington Central have also received gates, above and beyond any obligation Northern had.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

I don't think that Halifax is getting barriers now (could be wrong), this is because of the weak bridge on which the barriers would be installed.

 

[Moonshot]

I must admit as a Northern employee myself, the idea of gates before the opportunity to buy a ticket at the window is a bit odd.......but having said that, Rochdale is one of the hotspots for the one stop evaders. Clearly those coming out of the station with no ticket are going to be facing a hurdle.

 

[47802]

Yes I experienced Barrow the other week with its grand total of 3 gates, I arrived couldn't get on the platform because all 3 gates were set to exit, while a busy trains worth were trying to get out, but many passengers seemed to be struggling with tickets that wouldn't work the gates, in the end the guy on the gate gave up and just opened them to get things moving, however Rochdale adds a new dimension of having to get through the gates before buying the ticket, and what if you just want to make an enquiry or buy an advance ticket at the Ticket office, the whole thing is reaching the realms of stupidity.

 

[Bletchleyite]

For clarity, it's not installing barriers there that was stupid (generally I'm in favour of barriers), it's doing it before moving the ticket office downstairs.

 

[MG11]

I am absolutely in favour of barriers and having Revenue Protection Officers checking tickets at stations. I think this will make things very hard though for those wanting to buy Rangers and Privs (only available from booking offices). It's great that Northern want to protect their revenue but surely there is a way to still allow access to the booking office, perhaps fence off the booking office from the inside part of the barriers (compulsory ticket area), so people can go to the booking office, but will still be unable to go to the platforms without passing through the ticket gate, like they have done at Derby?

 

[47802]

Well I tend to be somewhat sceptical that the cost of the massive increase in revenue staff that Northern seem to have these days is less than the loss of revenue.

 

[MG11]

Well I tend to be somewhat sceptical that the cost of the massive increase in revenue staff that Northern seem to have these days is less than the loss of revenue.

When the Penalty Fares start, the RPOs will more than pay for themselves!

 

[Bletchleyite]

When the Penalty Fares start, the RPOs will more than pay for themselves!

Do they not already in 80 quid specials?

 

[Ianno87]

I am absolutely in favour of barriers and having Revenue Protection Officers checking tickets at stations. I think this will make things very hard though for those wanting to buy Rangers and Privs (only available from booking offices). It's great that Northern want to protect their revenue but surely there is a way to still allow access to the booking office, perhaps fence off the booking office from the inside part of the barriers (compulsory ticket area), so people can go to the booking office, but will still be unable to go to the platforms without passing through the ticket gate, like they have done at Derby?

Not really. Rochdale is an island platform, accessed from the street via a subway, then steps up to the centre of the island platform.

Weirdly, the ticket office is located directly opposite the top of these steps on the island platform, with doors immediately on each side to access each platform - not enough space either direction really to safely permit a barrier line.

If Northern had done this sensibly, they'd have built a new ticket office outside the station. Whilst Rochdale in principle is an ideal locarion to gate, having the ticket office *inside* the barriers is just a whole new level of bizarre. Agree that it at least catches people trying to get out, but I'm concerned that this policy of squeezing an inadequate width gateline into locations clearly not suited for them risks leading to a nasty accident somewhere one day.

 

[MG11]

Not really. Rochdale is an island platform, accessed from the street via a subway, then steps up to the centre of the island platform.

Weirdly, the ticket office is located directly opposite the top of these steps on the island platform, with doors immediately on each side to access each platform - not enough space either direction really to safely permit a barrier line.

If Northern had done this sensibly, they'd have built a new ticket office outside the station. Whilst Rochdale in principle is an ideal locarion to gate, having the ticket office *inside* the barriers is just a whole new level of bizarre. Agree that it at least catches people trying to get out, but I'm concerned that this policy of squeezing an inadequate width gateline into locations clearly not suited for them risks leading to a nasty accident somewhere one day.

Ahh fair enough then, if this is the only way Northern can have barriers at Rochdale, then so be it. I have never been to Rochdale, so wasn't aware of the unusal layout.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A sensible TOC would just concede to not having barriers.

 

[TUC]

Ahh fair enough then, if this is the only way Northern can have barriers at Rochdale, then so be it. I have never been to Rochdale, so wasn't aware of the unusal layout.

Well, surely no. I'm fine in principle about barriers but there is a common sense level of 'if it can't be done at X without further work', do the further work first.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well, surely no. I'm fine in principle about barriers but there is a common sense level of 'if it can't be done at X without further work', do the further work first.

Precisely. No objection to barriers, but the work to move the ticket office downstairs should have been done first.

 

[DanTrain]

Precisely. No objection to barriers, but the work to move the ticket office downstairs should have been done first.

It tends to take more than common sense for a TOC to do work. The barriers at Sheffield were only avoided because EMT decided it wasn't worth the while when they were told they had to build a new bridge to maintain the right of way. Profit comes before logic it seems in these situations.