Northern Ticket Machines

[Deerfold]

I don't suppose any of you would have any inside knowledge on whether Northern is likely to be installing any machines that let you pick up internet-bought tickets in the future?

So far as I know in West Yorkshire there's only Leeds and Wakefield have such machines.

In some parts of the country every two-bit station has these (no, offence meant, my nearest station comes into this category - no machines, no staff), but we've city stations without the ability.

I realise it may not be a priority for them as they don't do advance fares.

 

[First class]

Northern don't really have any intention of making their machines able to collect pre-booked tickets.

They tend to put their machines at (main) stations that have other company's machines which do allow you to collect pre-booked tickets.

With it being VERY expensive to make even minor changes to a TVM, it won't happen for a while.

*Expensive:

Getting multi-language support - £10,000 PER MACHINE
Adding credit card support to cash only machine - £20,000 per machine
Firmware Updates (outside of warranty) - £3-4,000 per machine

 

[Deerfold]

Northern don't really have any intention of making their machines able to collect pre-booked tickets.

They tend to put their machines at (main) stations that have other company's machines which do allow you to collect pre-booked tickets.

With it being VERY expensive to make even minor changes to a TVM, it won't happen for a while.

*Expensive:

Getting multi-language support - £10,000 PER MACHINE
Adding credit card support to cash only machine - £20,000 per machine
Firmware Updates (outside of warranty) - £3-4,000 per machine

I understand most of your post, but there's many examples of their machines being at stations without other companies having them - Bradford FS and I, Halifax, Keighley, Shipley just being the ones I use most often.

Thanks for the info, though.

 

[John @ home]

I don't suppose any of you would have any inside knowledge on whether Northern is likely to be installing any machines that let you pick up internet-bought tickets in the future?

Northern don't really have any intention of making their machines able to collect pre-booked tickets.

On 16 January 2009 I complained to Northern that their Leeds ticket machines still displayed a notice stating that collection of "Ticket on Departure" would become available in 2007. Their reply was

04 February 2009

Thank you for your e-mail about Ticket on Departure, which I received recently.

I have spoken to the project officer who has advised me that he is hopeful that TOD tickets will be available from early summer 2009. A problem arose concerning what would happen if a transaction failed. So to prevent unnecessary customer frustration it was decided to delay the introduction of TOD until the system is robust.

Thank you again for taking the trouble to contact me.

Customer Relations Officer
Northern Rail Limited