Euston ticket barrier checks

[rail-britain]

When I worked on HSTs, the most common question was "Have you got the time?"
My answer was "Yes", then walked off...
I would then turn round, "Oh you actually want to KNOW the time!"

 

[cyclebytrain]

It was properly barriered again today -I guess it must just have been a really weird coincidence.

 

[voyagerdude220]

I've travelled on one specific VT from Euston twice now (hint: formed of two trains coupled together) in the past few weeks. No barrier check, and only the First Class host checks the ticket in one of the trains. A friend who travelled in Standard in the same train confirmed no ticket check on their journey of over an hour.

When I travelled on a very similar VT service, which also happened to be two trains coupled together, I was "greeted" by the barrier staff at Euston before boarding the train, with no ticket check occuring in First what so ever. The TM sat in FC himself, reading his newspaper for most of the 2 hour 38 minute journey, with neither the TM or CSA asking to see any tickets.

Do VT only have one TM instead of 2 in situations like this?

I would always hope to have a TM on each set, but I have a feeling it's not always the case..

 

[dk1]

When I travelled on a very similar VT service, which also happened to be two trains coupled together, I was "greeted" by the barrier staff at Euston before boarding the train, with no ticket check occuring in First what so ever. The TM sat in FC himself, reading his newspaper for most of the 2 hour 38 minute journey, with neither the TM or CSA asking to see any tickets.

But was it the booked TM or just another travelling pass who is nothing to do with that train & therefore free to relax?

Last double Voyager i used was 09.31 Eus-Nun on 30th May & had tickets checked at the barrier & on board with announcements that on board checks would start in both units with 1st class & any passengers requiring upgrades please have your payment ready.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

I travelled on the 1300 to Manchester Piccadilly today and there were about 7 people on the barrier! Admittedly it was a very busy train

 

[voyagerdude220]

But was it the booked TM or just another travelling pass who is nothing to do with that train & therefore free to relax?

The TM who was sat just behind me in FC was indeed working the service, with no other TMs seen on my unit at any point during the entire journey. Although he didn't do the announcements/dispatch the service when we had the other 221 attached behind us, he did indeed dispatch us at Chester.

 

[jon0844]

Its those passengers AP tickets bought at a give-away price who think they can have all the flexability they like, that get my goat. Im afraid a few tears because they find themselves facing a £70 walk on fare wouldnt wash with me either. They try it on all the time & suppose you cannot blame them but when its a fare cop, shut up & pay up.

When I got on a FGW HST to Bristol (I was only going to Reading), the TM made a very detailed announcement before departure with regards to advance tickets, along the lines of;

'This is the 1500 service. If you have an advanced ticket, it must be showing for THIS service, the 1500 service. If it is not, your ticket is not valid...'

I don't think it could have been made much clearer. I wonder if he still caught anyone?

 

[thewolf]

When I got on a FGW HST to Bristol (I was only going to Reading), the TM made a very detailed announcement before departure with regards to advance tickets, along the lines of;

'This is the 1500 service. If you have an advanced ticket, it must be showing for THIS service, the 1500 service. If it is not, your ticket is not valid...'

I don't think it could have been made much clearer. I wonder if he still caught anyone?

A few times (when catching a different train to that I booked ) I have heard that announcement. But then when they've come along to check tickets they haven't asked for the reservations.

Although it is on XC between Stoke and Birmingham where the reservation system never seems to be working anyway.

 

[bengolding]

The same thing happened again last week. This time, I'm naming the train to shame Virgin.

17:10 Euston-Holyhead is booked for 2 x Super Voyagers with the rear going as far as Chester. The train was announced at platform 13 10 minutes before departure. Ample opportunity for a barrier check but none existed, despite the 17:07 at platform 12 having been checked. Travelled on the front train. Alarm bells began ringing when 30 minutes into the journey no staff appeared. It turned out that the front train had NO staff on board whatsoever. No First class host, no Train Manager, no shop staff (shop was shut). From a health and safety view, are Virgin allowed to get away with having no staff on board? I confirmed with other passengers who tried in vein to locate staff but to no avail. No announcement made before departure that First Class customers would get no at-seat service or indeed that the Shop was closed in the front train. Alighted at Nuneaton so situation may have changed since then. It seems the 17:10 only has one TM on both units. Interestingly, the TM also announced the Milton Keynes stop, which is pick-up northbound, advising customers to take their belongings with them!

 

[andyc225]

The same thing happened again last week. This time, I'm naming the train to shame Virgin.

17:10 Euston-Holyhead is booked for 2 x Super Voyagers with the rear going as far as Chester. The train was announced at platform 13 10 minutes before departure. Ample opportunity for a barrier check but none existed, despite the 17:07 at platform 12 having been checked. Travelled on the front train. Alarm bells began ringing when 30 minutes into the journey no staff appeared. It turned out that the front train had NO staff on board whatsoever. No First class host, no Train Manager, no shop staff (shop was shut). From a health and safety view, are Virgin allowed to get away with having no staff on board? I confirmed with other passengers who tried in vein to locate staff but to no avail. No announcement made before departure that First Class customers would get no at-seat service or indeed that the Shop was closed in the front train. Alighted at Nuneaton so situation may have changed since then. It seems the 17:10 only has one TM on both units. Interestingly, the TM also announced the Milton Keynes stop, which is pick-up northbound, advising customers to take their belongings with them!

The train wouldn't have gotten very far if there were no staff at all aboard.

 

[yorkie]

There would have been a member of staff on board the front unit )), and yes it's perfectly allowed. There may be a Virgin policy that states there must be a member of staff in each portion at any one time, and if so that may be why the TM didn't appear in the front portion. If TPE run 2 x 170s or 2 x 185s I'm told the guard can be in either portion. I'm sure kwvr45 can confirm....!

There is no H&S issue at all, you could get a 12-car 3 x Class 321 out of Euston and one of the portions would have no member of staff at all. There is no rule against that.

 

[dk1]

12-car 321s & 360s operate DOO out of Liverpool St with no staff member in at least 2 of the units.

More than a single 170 though is only permitted to operate on the GEML as long as a conductor is provided but even then both the driver & conductor are allowed to be in the same unit.

In the Virgin Trains example the main thing that would bother me is not being able to get any beer or grub!!

 

[455driver]

17:10 Euston-Holyhead is booked for 2 x Super Voyagers with the rear going as far as Chester. Travelled on the front train. Alarm bells began ringing when 30 minutes into the journey no staff appeared. It turned out that the front train had NO staff on board whatsoever.

So who was driving it then?

What exactly is the problem, if there was an emergency use the pass alarm, that is what it is for, or do you run up and down the train like a headless chicken looking for a member of staff!
You dont read the Daily Mail by any chance do you?

 

[87015]

[/U][/B]
You dont read the Daily Mail by any chance do you?

Or perhaps listens to Mr Crow and the RMT brotherhood....

 

[bengolding]

Or perhaps listens to Mr Crow and the RMT brotherhood....

I paid £107.50 for a single to Nuneaton. There was no announcement prior to departure that the front train had no form of catering on board. Only after departing Milton Keynes did it become clear that there was no visible staff presence in the front train. Had I and the dozen other First Class customers been made aware of this, we may have opted to sit in the rear train. This would also have applied to those in Standard who wanted on board catering seeing as the Shop was closed with no prior warning before departure. On a revenue protection level, Virgin lost out as two First Class upgrades weren't taken. A friend who travelled on it again earlier advised no ticket check at barrier or on board in the front train.

Several customers came into First trying to locate staff for genuine rail queries. They weren't acting like headless chickens. Given there was no barrier check and no obvious Train Manager or staff presence in the train after they had checked, what is wrong with that?

I've raised the issue directly with senior mgt who are investigating.

 

[Greenback]

I paid £107.50 for a single to Nuneaton. There was no announcement prior to departure that the front train had no form of catering on board. Only after departing Milton Keynes did it become clear that there was no visible staff presence in the front train. Had I and the dozen other First Class customers been made aware of this, we may have opted to sit in the rear train. This would also have applied to those in Standard who wanted on board catering seeing as the Shop was closed with no prior warning before departure. On a revenue protection level, Virgin lost out as two First Class upgrades weren't taken. A friend who travelled on it again earlier advised no ticket check at barrier or on board in the front train.

Several customers came into First trying to locate staff for genuine rail queries. They weren't acting like headless chickens. Given there was no barrier check and no obvious Train Manager or staff presence in the train after they had checked, what is wrong with that?

I've raised the issue directly with senior mgt who are investigating.

I don't blame you. This is one of the things that leads to a sense of not having received value for money. Fair enough, sometimes things go wrong, but it's importnat that customers are kept informed rather than being left in the dark.