Barriers

[Talbot]

Hi, at the moment Glasgow Central is near completion of having automated barriers functioning on all platforms apart from 1 and 2.
Apart from the revenue these will endorse from dodgers, they will also make the role of guard, ticket examiner that bit easier, espcially on the late weekend trains going out.
However, some peeps have expressed concern about the lack of commission these will cause, what would you rather have, a train full of passengers with guaranteed tickets, or an extra £x amount per month, it's a no brainer to me, win win situation, company making more revenue, and a safer environment for the staff on train.

 

[jopsuk]

Barriers should be used in conjunction with staff on every train- but some TOCs see them as a reason to reduce on-train staff (they do though require station staff, which is a boon at smaller stations that get them)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Doesn't stop double-gating (I think that's what it's called) or buying a cheaper ticket than your actual journey (eg. buying a single from King's Park instead of Blantyre)...

 

[Talbot]

jopsuk, I never posted this to spark of barriers = less on train staff debate.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Doesn't stop double-gating (I think that's what it's called) or buying a cheaper ticket than your actual journey (eg. buying a single from King's Park instead of Blantyre)...

Thats what the on train staff are for Matt, to check validity of tickets.
I am referring to trains departing from Central and everyone on board has had to come through the barriers.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Yes, but as jospuk said, staff levels may be cut as gates are often seen as the answer to all. Plus there's the ocassions when the staff can't get through all the train prior to /ex- GLC

 

[CarterUSM]

Small impact on commission, but as most services are "Glasgowcentric" in nature, you take the majority of your money coming on to central anyway, and all the folk that used to stay as far away from you as they could just can't wait to find you nowadays! They do bring their own problems however, I see an increase in some folk just purchasing a ticket to next stop , railcard discounts with no railcard present etc. On train ticket checks are on the whole pretty good in the Glasgow area though.

 

[tsr]

We have a couple of problems with automatic barriers here in the South-East of England, and I assume these crop up elsewhere. The first is that after the evening peak, you can often find that gatelines are left open and unmanned, due to staff not being present (either they are not employed to man the gatelines at those times, or else they are performing other duties). This means that the gatelines become effectively useless. I see this happen both at some London terminals and also at stations "out of town". The second problem is that the guards do not sometimes have time to check all the tickets, assuming there are guards on your route and it isn't DOO, so fare-dodgers could potentially travel "free". This means that you have to rely on RPIs, who do their job well, in my experience, but not frequently enough. Bear in mind that a good number of lines down here have penalty fare schemes. Naturally, lines that are not as busy or have stations with no ticket issuing facilities (e.g. some parts of the North Downs Line) are exempt from penalty fares.

Barriers, when used correctly, are good for preventing fare dodging, and I think they do make trains marginally safer, but I feel that there must be ticket checks wherever possible (and certainly more often than I experience them.

I know these issues have been mentioned elsewhere on these sorts of threads.

 

[Yew]

Its not uncommon for guards to not check tickets until saxilby on trains departing from lincoln (which is gated)

 

[bAzTNM]

It makes getting my bicycle back (from Platform 15) after a journey rather difficult if the ticket examiners won't let me through to get it.

"Just passing here to get my bike at 15", puts ticket in, won't work. Guy won't let me through, he asked another guy, he wouldn't let me through (EVEN WITH A VALID TICKET. Glasgow Central to Paisley Canal RETURN. It wasn't for that platform though). I had to go out the station, get the lift at Hope Street, missing out the barriers and hoping nobody saw me and then come down the same way. I hope they fix this problem.

 

[michael769]

Barrier staff have no lawful right to prevent you from reclaiming your property, and by doing so may be committing an offence. I would suggest you complain to Scotrail about this.

If you encounter this in the future I would suggest asking (at the station reception) to speak to the Station Duty manager about your predicament - I am sure he will understand the need to assist you.

 

[yorkie]

bAzTNM, can I suggest you write to FSR about that? I look forward to reading their response

 

[bAzTNM]

bAzTNM, can I suggest you write to FSR about that? I look forward to reading their response

FSR? Never heard of that organisation.

 

[transportphoto]

FSR? Never heard of that organisation.

FSR is a abbreviation for First Scot Rail

 

[michael769]

But this condition does make it clear that there actually has to be a valid reason for doing so.

Indeed. I struggle to see what possible valid reason a member of station staff could have for preventing a passenger with a ticket from accessing their bike when its is stored in a rack specifically provided by the station for the purpose of storing passengers bikes.

 

[bAzTNM]

I think they were a bit funny about it because I tried the ticket numerous times through the barriers and it wasn't having it.

 

[RailwayBear]

New Barrier staff that are coming into the company are NOT being paid commission, they are being paid a basic 16K(pro rata) and are being rebranded as gateline staff...

 

[scotsman]

New Barrier staff that are coming into the company are NOT being paid commission, they are being paid a basic 16K(pro rata) and are being rebranded as gateline staff...

They also seem to have a serious attitude problem - they were instructed to let no-one on Platform 12 for a steam special arriving. This meant they also refused access to the Driver of the ECS too

 

[Urban Gateline]

New Barrier staff that are coming into the company are NOT being paid commission, they are being paid a basic 16K(pro rata) and are being rebranded as gateline staff...

I didn't think any RPI's or Barrier staff got commission?! Our RPI's and RPA's certainly don't, however they are reasonably paid at £24kpa compared to us Gateline staff at £15kpa!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This meant they also refused access to the Driver of the ECS too

Doesn't the driver have a Cubic barrier pass or a staff ID to show Barrier staff?

 

[swt_passenger]

I think they were a bit funny about it because I tried the ticket numerous times through the barriers and it wasn't having it.

What sort of ticket?

Usually, any repeated attempts to make the same move, (eg in or out) at the same station in a short timescale would fall foul of the normal anti fraud measures set up in the gates...

 

[RailwayBear]

ticket examiners who where doing manual barriers before the gate went in get 3%(same as me for on-train staff) commision.

However through time ALL gateline staff irrespective of years service will become gateline staff andwill get only 16k..

A few of the old school guys have already started to move to other jobs before the company starts to issue new contracts or issue 90days notice to terminate employment

 

[Urban Gateline]

ticket examiners who where doing manual barriers before the gate went in get 3%(same as me for on-train staff) commision.

However through time ALL gateline staff irrespective of years service will become gateline staff andwill get only 16k..

A few of the old school guys have already started to move to other jobs before the company starts to issue new contracts or issue 90days notice to terminate employment

That's pretty harsh tbh, I do feel for those who have been in the job for a while and had a cushy wage and commission to go with it, especially the older ones who may not want to find another job.

 

[scotsman]

Doesn't the driver have a Cubic barrier pass or a staff ID to show Barrier staff?

He had a uniform on with his TOC clearly named on it, he explained his position and the TOC he worked for, and asked to be let through

 

[David Goddard]

We apologise for the late departure of this service, this was due to the driver not being allowed through the ticket barrier to board his train

 

[RailwayBear]

We apologise for the late departure of this service, this was due to the driver not being allowed through the ticket barrier to board his train

Its better than the other week when one of our drivers managed to get LOCKED in the toilet and managed to get 2 trains cancelled

 

[Urban Gateline]

Its better than the other week when one of our drivers managed to get LOCKED in the toilet and managed to get 2 trains cancelled

In the train or station toilet?

 

[68000]

The barriers must mean that there are 7 figure sums now going into ScotRail per year that otherwise would not. Shame it takes barriers to do this though.

 

[Lrd]

In the train or station toilet?

Station, there was a article somewhere about it.

Here

 

[Fare-Cop]

He had a uniform on with his TOC clearly named on it, he explained his position and the TOC he worked for, and asked to be let through

One common fare evasion tactic for quite a number of regular dishonest travellers in BR NSE days was to get hold of an orange Hi-Vis vest, put it on and walk on to any train, nod to the platform staff saying 'Watcha mate, all right?' or some such similar flippant greeting

Yes, I agree that it is bloody annoying, but new staff appear in different jobs every day and cannot know everyone or everything immediately

I agree it might be a pain, but really, what is it that is so hard about showing a pass when asked?

 

[Urban Gateline]

One common fare evasion tactic for quite a number of regular dishonest travellers in BR NSE days was to get hold of an orange Hi-Vis vest, put it on and walk on to any train, nod to the platform staff saying 'Watcha mate, all right?' or some such similar flippant greeting

Yes, I agree that it is bloody annoying, but new staff appear in different jobs every day and cannot know everyone or everything immediately

I agree it might be a pain, but really, what is it that is so hard about showing a pass when asked?

Well now most staff have a cubic barrier pass to get through the barriers just like a normal ticket would, so you don't get many staff showing their passes! However most contracts wear Hi-Vis so it's very difficult to distinguish who is legit, people seem to get annoyed at being asked for their pass!

 

[Fare-Cop]

Well now most staff have a cubic barrier pass to get through the barriers just like a normal ticket would, so you don't get many staff showing their passes! However most contracts wear Hi-Vis so it's very difficult to distinguish who is legit, people seem to get annoyed at being asked for their pass!

I don't disagree, I know how annoyed they get, I often hear the complaints, but what I don't understand is why it's so hard to show it after all, that's why it's there, to prove entitlement and ease access.