Exit Ticket Checks at Euston causing crowding on platforms

[RailWonderer]

It would certainly help if Bletchley guards could be convinced to be less bone-idle and to do tickets once in a while, it's still only a recognisable few that bother. They don't even do them on the Marston Vale any more which means most people not going to Bletchley or Bedford just treat it as free. Perhaps scanning commission should be offered.

A commission on penalty fares would be even better.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In my experience the 8-11 gates are some of the most poorly staffed gates in the country. Even off peak they seem to be opened and closed every time an LNW train arrives and often the wide gate is left open even with a mass of staff standing around chatting .Totally different to when Silverlink operated it in a much more professional and effective manor

LNW should sort this out before there checks on the ungated platforms

They are opened deliberately when two trains arrive at once to avoid a dangerous situation. There is no fix for this as such bar moving to a single gateline up top.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Sep 2024 ==

A commission on penalty fares would be even better.

Guards don't do PFs. But even if they did, a million times no - it results in them being issued unfairly and wrongly.

 

[RailWonderer]

Fully appreciated re. why barriers are beneficial, and if crowding on the platforms is leading to PTI issues then ticket checks absolutely need to go out of the window for safety reasons, I agree.

That should happen irrespective of whatever onboard ticket checks have taken place, though, and the extent of those checks won’t be known (or cared about) by the gateline and control room staff making the decisions.

EDIT: looking again at the photo in the OP, that level of crowding to exit the platform does look absolutely ridiculous. I’ve never seen anything like that at any of the various London terminals I have signed, thankfully. Euston really does seem to have “issues” all of its own…

Liverpool St doesn't care, neither does LU. Crowded as you like and barriers are still up, revenue protection is seen as most essential. Euston has its issues but it's fairly generous besides the gruff gateline staff.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I wonder if crowds exiting platforms may get slightly worse once Project Oval comes in when LNR services arrive on non platforms 8-11? As more passengers will have to touch out and there are only 4 validators compared to about a dozen at the gateline (I think it autocompletes when you touch in at the tube station but not everyone knows that)?

I'd imagine not by that much of a margin. Contactless is already valid from Watford Jn, and it's mostly not local services that arrive "off platform", so you're just talking about people from Leighton and Bletchley which isn't exactly a huge crowd compared to Watford.

 

[Chriso]

They are opened deliberately when two trains arrive at once to avoid a dangerous situation. There is no fix for this as such bar moving to a single gateline up top.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Sep 2024 ==



Guards don't do PFs. But even if they did, a million times no - it results in them being issued unfairly and wrongly.

I have seen many half empty trains arrive and the gateline staff just plug the exit gates open. As mentioned earlier most other terminals seem to deal fine except Euston.

Under Silverlink it was never as badly managed and with the 321’s the guards were stuck in their unit so could only do tickets in the unit they were in unlike now on the 350’s with gangway

 

[Bletchleyite]

I have seen many half empty trains arrive and the gateline staff just plug the exit gates open. As mentioned earlier most other terminals seem to deal fine except Euston.

Do they? I find other stations just make you wait and quite like that Euston doesn't. Fare dodging in the peak is minimal anyway.

 

[uww11x]

Looks really dangerous the pics on social media. Why should customers be crammed on the platform and wait for another ticket check? The Rail Minister should resign

 

[185]

It would certainly help if Bletchley guards could be convinced to be less bone-idle and to do tickets once in a while, it's still only a recognisable few that bother.

The operator mandates than staff work the twelve car sets from the middle unit only. That coupled with morning peak trains often being full south of l/ buzzard - priority is keeping the train moving safely, and on time. One guard can't check 900 passengers in half an hour with 10+ stations.

Euston must urgently have all platforms gated, but these need to be installed correctly, with a dwell area >5m beyond the top of the ramps & demolish all the catering huts.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The operator mandates than staff work the twelve car sets from the middle unit only. That coupled with morning peak trains often being full south of l/ buzzard - priority is keeping the train moving safely, and on time. One guard can't check 900 passengers in half an hour with 10+ stations.

Meanwhile the 0656 off Bletchley is 8 or 6 car (depending if it's 350 or 730), always half-empty and rarely checked.

They might not manage to check everybody, but they could certainly check some, and they don't, they sit in the cab. It is just Bletchley guards - others do check.

There's really no excuse for not doing revenue on the Marston Vale!

Euston must urgently have all platforms gated, but these need to be installed correctly, with a dwell area >5m beyond the top of the ramps & demolish all the catering huts.

The catering huts wouldn't free up useful space, they sit in the gaps between the ramps. A central gateline would need to go under the advertising screen.

 

[87015]

The operator mandates than staff work the twelve car sets from the middle unit only. That coupled with morning peak trains often being full south of l/ buzzard - priority is keeping the train moving safely, and on time. One guard can't check 900 passengers in half an hour with 10+ stations.

What 12-cars? Theres only one set on the slows and 1 or 2 on the fasts depending which day of the week. Fast line trains have ticket checks before Euston more often than not - the one in the OP tweet was certainly done on that day as it usually is.

 

[Trainbike46]

Impossible, Euston is completely safe any suggestion otherwise is clearly the work of disruptive elements trying to impinge on the good reputation of Network Rail.

Exactly

I certainly haven't personally experienced a situation where it was impossible to leave the platform when arriving on an avanti train, because the concourse was so crowded that it wasn't possible for the people at the front to leave the ramp, leading to the crowd backing up on the platform. Such things would never occur at Euston, obviously

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Sep 2024 ==

A commission on penalty fares would be even better.

Guards don't do PFs. But even if they did, a million times no - it results in them being issued unfairly and wrongly.

I'm fairly certain a commission on penalty fares is also, in fact illegal

 

[Kite159]

Euston made the access from the concourse to those barriers wider by removing shops/the LNR ticket office but did they do anything about the size of the gateline?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Euston made the access from the concourse to those barriers wider by removing shops/the LNR ticket office but did they do anything about the size of the gateline?

It was widened a while ago by removing the old ticket office that used to be down there. There isn't space to make it any wider.

 

[oversteer]

there is so much space at Euston between and past the platform ends that could be usefully used.. why don't they use those for passenger flow? I'm sure the catering and bin trollies can fit around passengers

 

[Efini92]

Station berth Track circuit. Ive had claims denied when the train occupies the berth circuit but then doesn’t immediately proceed into the platform even though the final delay is over the threshold , but the industry system says train arrived before the threshold

That reminds me of an incident a couple of years ago, a train brought the wires down coming into Euston. Passengers ended up being escorted down the track into the station. When they tried to claim delay repay, it showed the train arriving on time.

 

[Chriso]

Do they? I find other stations just make you wait and quite like that Euston doesn't. Fare dodging in the peak is minimal anywa.

Meanwhile the 0656 off Bletchley is 8 or 6 car (depending if it's 350 or 730), always half-empty and rarely checked.

They might not manage to check everybody, but they could certainly check some, and they don't, they sit in the cab. It is just Bletchley guards - others do check.

There's really no excuse for not doing revenue on the Marston Vale!



The catering huts wouldn't free up useful space, they sit in the gaps between the ramps. A central gateline would need to go under the advertising screen.

Totally agree with all points raised here. Sad to hear this lazy attitude has now stretched to the Marston Vale line.

 

[Bletchleyite]

there is so much space at Euston between and past the platform ends that could be usefully used.. why don't they use those for passenger flow? I'm sure the catering and bin trollies can fit around passengers

Not sure how I'd use them. The most you could do is allow them for interchange, but hardly anyone interchanges at Euston.

 

[MatthewHutton]

Not sure how I'd use them. The most you could do is allow them for interchange, but hardly anyone interchanges at Euston.

At least the elderly, disabled and small children might enter from the rear entrance. That doesn’t have no value.