Northern Station Improvements & New Ticket Machines

[urbophile]

I don't know, but I think Liverpool - Preston stations are being done first.

There was no evidence of any new signage at Eccleston Park at all.
.

Doesn't it, like all (or most) stations in Merseyside, have Merseyrail signage and branding (despite not being served or run by Merseyrail)?

 

[RJ21]

I hear Glossop is to acquire barriers, 3 standard size and one wide gate. Northern have had to apply to HPBC for listed building consent as the station is Grade II listed.

When questioned about the new barriers and their planned acceptance of ticket types found on the network I was assured that the barriers are designed with all ticket and pass types in mind and resolutions are being found for any current issues that come to light. This being on a line where after 13:30 only 3 stations out of 12 have ticket offices and TVMs (Picc, Guide Bridge [but not Glossop bound] & Hadfield).

Have any of the barriers installed by Northern been set up to utilise ITSO yet? I know Greater Anglia have it working on theirs but I don't know of anyone else who has.

 

[Starmill]

ITSO has been working at Leeds and Bradford Interchange for a great many years.

I'm fairly sure that Salford stations, Bolton and Wigan Wallgate have ITSO readers present - no way to check as I don't have an ITSO card you can use on a train to there. Very few people do.

 

[RJ21]

All the Greater Manchester travel cards, pensioners & disabled, carry the ITSO logo and from what I have been told they do not operate barriers. I have no idea how many of those are in circulation but it must be a fairly sizable number.

 

[northwichcat]

Chelford, Eccles, Glazebrook, Holmes Chapel, Goostrey, Horwich Parkway, Humphrey Park, Moston, Patricroft, Salford Central, Sandbach and Urmston are among a list of stations to get new TVMs.

Does anyone know if Northern are going to install Parkeon machines (like the old franchise installed) or something better (like Fast ticket machines installed at Virgin and TPE managed stations)?

 

[Darandio]

Hopefully better, the one at Redcar Central has been off every time i've visited recently. Something along the lines of.....

'This machine is currently out of service as it has been modified to no longer accept cash'

So it's been changed to card only, but doesn't work anyway!

 

[DarloRich]

They could make the one at Woodlesford accept my bank card once in a while.............

 

[northwichcat]

They could make the one at Woodlesford accept my bank card once in a while.............

They seem to refuse most credit cards whether Mastercard or Visa.

 

[Bwlch y Groes]

Chelford, Eccles, Glazebrook, Holmes Chapel, Goostrey, Horwich Parkway, Humphrey Park, Moston, Patricroft, Salford Central, Sandbach and Urmston are among a list of stations to get new TVMs.

Does anyone know if Northern are going to install Parkeon machines (like the old franchise installed) or something better (like Fast ticket machines installed at Virgin and TPE managed stations)?

Big touch screen ones

We've already installed some at Ashton, Broad Green, Prescot, Roby, Garswood, Hough Green and West Allerton

 

[DarloRich]

Big touch screen ones

We've already installed some at Ashton, Broad Green, Prescot, Roby, Garswood, Hough Green and West Allerton

they are in no way going to get smashed up..............

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Chelford, Eccles, Glazebrook, Holmes Chapel, Goostrey, Horwich Parkway, Humphrey Park, Moston, Patricroft, Salford Central, Sandbach and Urmston are among a list of stations to get new TVMs.

Does anyone know if Northern are going to install Parkeon machines (like the old franchise installed) or something better (like Fast ticket machines installed at Virgin and TPE managed stations)?

I believe they are to be Parkeon 'smart wall' style machines, as have been installed recently at other stations like Broad Green. They will almost certainly be card only.

 

[DJH1971]

Any plans for one at Bryn near Wigan?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I understand that the plan is for all (Northern) stations to have a TVM as a minimum.

 

[DarloRich]

I understand that the plan is for all (Northern) stations to have a TVM as a minimum.

the one at Chathill wont get much use

 

[Bletchleyite]

I understand that the plan is for all (Northern) stations to have a TVM as a minimum.

Good plan. Next step proper statutory PFs, at least in the urban areas?

 

[Starmill]

Good plan. Next step proper statutory PFs, at least in the urban areas?

We already knew that both of these were on the cards...

Not least because this is already under discussion here:

 

[northwichcat]

I believe they are to be Parkeon 'smart wall' style machines, as have been installed recently at other stations like Broad Green.

So I wonder if the smaller stations might finish up with superior TVMs to the larger ones which already have TVMs?

 

[northwichcat]

Good plan. Next step proper statutory PFs, at least in the urban areas?

Until they install TVMs which accept all types of debit and credit cards, not just the most common types of debit cards and a limited number of credit cards, I hope passengers won't get threatened with penalty fares for their TVMs not accepting valid bank cards.

 

[radamfi]

Until they install TVMs which accept all types of debit and credit cards, not just the most common types of debit cards and a limited number of credit cards, I hope passengers won't get threatened with penalty fares for their TVMs not accepting valid bank cards.

Do Northern accept fewer bank cards at their machines than other TOCs?

 

[Cheshire Rover]

the one at Chathill wont get much use

Nor Ince and Elton or Stanlow and Thornton unless the service is improved.

 

[northwichcat]

Do Northern accept fewer bank cards at their machines than other TOCs?

I've changed my credit card twice since Northern started installing Parkeon TVMs and none of the 3 different types of credit card have ever worked at their TVMs except for a collecting an already paid for Ticket on Departure. Apart from Northern TVMs I can only recall one instance of a credit card transaction not going through first time and that was a portable machine being used by a waiter outside and he suggested it needed to be tried again in a different place where the signal was better - which then worked.

I've never had a problem with a TPE or Virgin machine accepting any type of card I use.

Northern claim their machines accept all cards - many types of credit cards just never work though!

 

[northwichcat]

Nor Ince and Elton or Stanlow and Thornton unless the service is improved.

The service is being improved. They'll get a morning peak departure for Manchester from next May which will arrive in Manchester pre-9am and an evening peak departure from Manchester post-5pm. Although, they'll be no service between the morning and evening peaks.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

The franchise document states that Northern need to:-

Install braille and induction loops on all TVMs by 31/03/2018

Install 34 'Smart Wall' TVMs by 31/03/2020

Install a TVM on all stations with a footfall over 3,000pa by 31/03/2021

Other requirements include:

At least 447 TVMs having a video assist function by 31/03/2021
All TVMs must be able to issue railcards and a discounted ticket immediately after.

There is a lot of work to be done.

 

[Starmill]

Several more of these have now been installed I'm told. I haven't heard of any that take cash yet.

 

[radamfi]

Which cards do Northern ticket machines accept?

 

[Geeves]

I wouldn't bother trying to use American express in the TVMs or for collection of tickets. All the other cards work pretty much perfectly even the former electron type cards

 

[Starmill]

They're Parkeon machines. It seems they run the same software as the ones that have been at Harrogate and Leeds for a couple of years.

 

[JaJaWa]

Which is something resembling the old ticket machine software in a tiny window in the middle of the enormous touchscreen! Nonsensical!

 

[northwichcat]

I wouldn't bother trying to use American express in the TVMs or for collection of tickets. All the other cards work pretty much perfectly even the former electron type cards

Mastercard credit cards issued by RBS and Bank of Ireland groups don't work, neither do Nationwide issued Visa credit cards, despite Northern saying their machines should accept them. All types of debit cards which allow off line transactions seem to work.

 

[Starmill]

This is something I was a bit stuck with too recently when advising a pair of American tourists on buying singles from Haymarket to Edinburgh Airport by tram. It's not vastly clear which cards are accepted and cash is not readily accepted either.