Merseyrail Railpass Format

[AllWork]

Hopefully someone can help me with what should be a simple query (I hope!).

I am a soon to be Merseyrail Annual Railpass holder and this'll be my first time owning a ticket that wasn't just a return! Can anyone confirm to me what format it is? The only picture I can find seems to show a single 'photocard' but would it not be a photocard + ticket counterpart?

Given that this will be £800 that I will carry around most days I'm a little nervous that it might get chewed / retained by a barrier. Is it a smart choice to simply show the ticket (in a see-through wallet)? Will Merseyrail give me a pass holder a la the YP railcard I had many years ago!

Thanks!

AllWork

 

[Polarbear]

I'm fairly sure that the annual RailPass was supposed to have migrated to "Walrus" smartcard system by now? However, all mention of this seems to have been expunged from the Merseytravel website. :roll:

As far as I'm aware, the annual railpass comes in two parts & yes, you should be provided with a plastic wallet to hold the tickets in. One part is the photocard with the ID number on & the second part is the ticket itself.

I've found that some stations will let you through the manual barrier when showing a Railpass, but at Liverpool Central in particular, you almost always have to insert your ticket through the barrier. Not all stations are gated on the Merseyrail network so I suspect your ticket will survive the 12 months relatively unscaithed.

 

[Wiggaz]

I have an annual Railpass and always use the manual gates rather than the automatic barriers, usually at Moorfields (daily) but also occasionally at Southport, Liverpool Central, James Street and Hamilton Square. Never had a problem doing so and have never been asked to use the automatic barriers instead. I find this much easier as the ticket never has to come out of the wallet.

 

[razor89]

Photocard + ticket, they will give you a wallet. Your details will also be entered onto the season ticket database. This means that if you lose your pass you can get a replacement (subject to £10 admin fee). It also means that if your pass is damaged by a ticket gate you will be able to get a free replacement.

As for your fears about the gates retaining your ticket: It pretty much never happens as gates are only programmed to retain standard tickets with destination matching the gates location. However even if your pass was retained you can simply ask a member of staff on the gateline; it will take seconds for them to have the ticket bin out and, as season tickets are usually printed on blue ticket stock, they should be able to find your ticket easily.

 

[AllWork]

Thanks everyone for such very useful information. I've written to Merseytravel to ask about the status of Walrus so we shall see...

Just out of interest, will I be able to use my Railpass (Wirral+Central Liverpool) to travel to Wrexham by just buying a Heswall-Wrexham Central ticket and staying on the same train?

 

[Polarbear]

Just out of interest, will I be able to use my Railpass (Wirral+Central Liverpool) to travel to Wrexham by just buying a Heswall-Wrexham Central ticket and staying on the same train?

Yes, that's fine.

 

[fowler9]

Photocard + ticket, they will give you a wallet. Your details will also be entered onto the season ticket database. This means that if you lose your pass you can get a replacement (subject to £10 admin fee). It also means that if your pass is damaged by a ticket gate you will be able to get a free replacement.

As for your fears about the gates retaining your ticket: It pretty much never happens as gates are only programmed to retain standard tickets with destination matching the gates location. However even if your pass was retained you can simply ask a member of staff on the gateline; it will take seconds for them to have the ticket bin out and, as season tickets are usually printed on blue ticket stock, they should be able to find your ticket easily.

Indeed, I have a trio ticket which just consists of a largish photocard with a date stamped sticker as do many so the people on the manned gate are well used to such things (including the railpass which of course looks slightly different).

 

[AllWork]

Yes, that's fine.

Brilliant - thanks!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Indeed, I have a trio ticket which just consists of a largish photocard with a date stamped sticker as do many so the people on the manned gate are well used to such things (including the railpass which of course looks slightly different).

Does that mean the Trio doesn't have a barrier-compatible ticket at all. Interesting, and given the low difference between Railpass and trio costs worth considering.

 

[fowler9]

Brilliant - thanks!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Does that mean the Trio doesn't have a barrier-compatible ticket at all. Interesting, and given the low difference between Railpass and trio costs worth considering.

Indeed mate, the Trio is approx 12cm by 8.5cm, slightly larger in a plastic sleeve. Makes it far more prone to getting bashed about alas. Not managed to loose one for a good 15 years though its that big. Ha ha. Fits in the pocket easily enough though. Costs fair a bit more, about £756 for Birkenhead and Liverpool central zones but of course includes the bus and I am pretty sure it still includes the Ferry as well on the direct services, not the cruises.

I would be interested to know what has happened to the proposed Walrus card. Loved using the Octopus card in Hong Kong and the Oyster in London.

 

[AllWork]

Just as an update I came across a procurement notice for Walrus - encoding at retail platforms - so it may not be totally dead in the water.

A little more info here : https://www.the-chest.org.uk/procon...RACT-NWCE-9EHU46&org_id=ORG-NWCE-89ALFV&from=

 

[fowler9]

Just as an update I came across a procurement notice for Walrus - encoding at retail platforms - so it may not be totally dead in the water.

A little more info here : https://www.the-chest.org.uk/procon...RACT-NWCE-9EHU46&org_id=ORG-NWCE-89ALFV&from=

If it happens I will be delighted. As I have said before I love the Oyster card and the Octopus card in Hong Kong was amazing, I believe the Walrus was meant to be more like the Octopus card.