FCC blockade at Southern barriers - any point?

[radamfi]

Three Bridges has recently been barriered and usually staffed by Southern. Usually by one person but sometimes more.

Tonight, FCC had blockaded Three Bridges barriers. What's the point of that, given that it is already barriered? Don't they trust Southern staff?

 

[Matt Taylor]

Because a lone gateline staff member cannot do PFs, they are essentially only there for safety reasons.

 

[southerner2174]

Most likely it is to conduct a block, the staff who man the barriers are not trained to issue penalty fares although they may be trained to issue tickets from the advantix.
The RPI'S are the only ones who can issue penalty fares.

 

[Aictos]

Much like Peterborough has East Coast responsible for the gateline, sometimes FCC carries out a joint block with East Coast and the one at Three Bridges is exactly that, a joint block between FCC and Southern.

 

[tempests1]

SWT used to do joint blocks with First Great Western at Guildford.

 

[alexjames]

I'll drift slightly OT, if I may.

Am I right in thinking that where a gateline has just one person supervising it, then that person is unable to pursue fare evaders without setting the gateline to fully open (and thus defeating the object somewhat). If I have it right is it railway rules or an H & S point?

 

[radamfi]

Most likely it is to conduct a block, the staff who man the barriers are not trained to issue penalty fares although they may be trained to issue tickets from the advantix.
The RPI'S are the only ones who can issue penalty fares.

So are you saying that some barrier staff can't even sell tickets? So what happens if a passenger has no ticket and there is no other staff? Direct the passenger to the ticket office?

 

[sheff1]

So are you saying that some barrier staff can't even sell tickets? So what happens if a passenger has no ticket and there is no other staff? Direct the passenger to the ticket office?

At Leeds, passengers in the know just head to the gate which is kept almost permanently open and they are cheerily waved through hock:

 

[91101]

http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Railway_...re/Railway Group Standards/GIRT7015 Iss 1.pdf

That states that the barrier must be maned when in use. France does't have this regulation, and if the barriers dont open you are stuck!

 

[Matt Taylor]

So what happens if a passenger has no ticket and there is no other staff? Direct the passenger to the ticket office?

Yes, that is precisely what happens.

 

[mallard]

Yes, that is precisely what happens.

Even if the ticket office is on the other side of the barriers and out of view of the barrier staff? Doesn't that make the barriers a little ineffective...

 

[causton]

I'll drift slightly OT, if I may.

Am I right in thinking that where a gateline has just one person supervising it, then that person is unable to pursue fare evaders without setting the gateline to fully open (and thus defeating the object somewhat). If I have it right is it railway rules or an H & S point?

I know FCC's official line (somewhere buried on their site) was that a disabled person could require assistance with the gates and that was why they needed to be manned, so probably H&S I'm guessing

 

[RJ]

The RPI'S are the only ones who can issue penalty fares.

Any authorised collector can issue Penalty Fares, not necessarily RPIs.

 

[Class377/5]

FCC staff regularly do blocks at non FCC stations just as other TOCs can do blocks at FCC stations. In fact Southern regularly does blocks on its own at Elephant & Castle without any FCC staff. Seem them there once en mass with the BTP and metal detectors stopping people. Not sure tho why Southern staff did that station. I could understand Southeastern doing it, but guess it something to do with either historical rights or Southern and Southeastern being part of the same company.

 

[radamfi]

Do TOCs have to have permission to doing a block at stations barriered by other TOCs, or can any TOC barrier whatever station they want? (Could SWT block Redhill, say, even though they don't run there?) Or is FCC obliged to block certain Southern stations periodically as part of their franchise?

 

[mooster]

I've seen Southern do blockades at Fratton which is an SWT station is it not?

Talking of FGW RPI's at Guildford - I use the North Camp to Guildford route quite a bit and can honestly say I've never ever seen one anywhere. But then, FGW have made the ticket machines card only at a number of their stations, so I can't say I'm surprised. SWT don't seem to have problems with vandalism just down the road at Ash Vale or Farnborough Main (well, other than one time this year where some crims broke open two of the machines at Farnborough Main with crow bars or similar - fair play to them for distinguishing between Cash & Card, and Card Only though, they can read at the very least )