Postal tickets still CCST?

[81A]

With the ongoing shift from CCST (credit card sized tickets) to PRT (paper roll tickets) or E tickets, I have been surprised to receive CCST when ordering tickets by post recently from c2c, Chiltern Railways, GWR (the old website) and Trainline. (Trainline even issued them in the pre-2014 format, almost making the booking fee I had to pay worth it!) I do see, however, that Southeastern's website states they will post "a printed E-ticket" (link below). Have any other postal issuers switched? Or is postal issue still mainly CCST? (I don't want to pay postal fees to buy tickets from every website to check!)

Link to the southeastern e ticket page, including the postal information

The full postal e ticket section from the Southeastern website: "eTickets are now also available through the post. If you selected a ticket where an eTicket is available and you choose to have it delivered by post, you will receive it as a printed eTicket ready to use for your journey. Just scan the barcode on the reader at the gate (where available)."

 

[Haywain]

Have any other postal issuers switched?

I believe that LNER moved away from posting CCST some time ago. I expect @Wallsendmag will be able to confirm.

 

[81A]

I believe that LNER moved away from posting CCST some time ago. I expect @Wallsendmag will be able to confirm.

That does seem likely as LNER seem to generally be fairly eager to move away from CCST (especially when compared to, say, Southern). If true, that makes two at least...

 

[Wallsendmag]

I believe that LNER moved away from posting CCST some time ago. I expect @Wallsendmag will be able to confirm.

Yes, we actually post a paper eTicket where available.
ps we were first lol

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 May 2026 ==

That does seem likely as LNER seem to generally be fairly eager to move away from CCST (especially when compared to, say, Southern). If true, that makes two at least...

Yes that’s me, working on tickets through London that don’t need a tube leg next.

 

[Sonic1234]

Yes that’s me, working on tickets through London that don’t need a tube leg next.

How does this work for those journeys which normally don't require a tube leg, but the tube can technically be used? Such as connecting to Thameslink from a long-distance service or a north-south journey through the Thameslink core. In times of disruption, GTR arranges ticket acceptance on TfL for paper ticket holders only, which I assume means CCST.

 

[81A]

Yes, we actually post a paper eTicket where available.
ps we were first lol

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 May 2026 ==


Yes that’s me, working on tickets through London that don’t need a tube leg next.

Not surprised you were first as Southeastern have seemed a bit "conservative" when it comes to smart tickets lol... (I think they only allowed e tickets at all in 2023?)

Well, LNER and Southeastern make two at least... I wonder if any others have (or are about to) switch?

Regarding the second part of your post, being in charge of E ticket enablement must be "fun" given all the interdependencies... I sometimes wonder how you lot manage to get any progress made on smart ticketing at all...

 

[Sonic1234]

Not surprised you were first as Southeastern have seemed a bit "conservative" when it comes to smart tickets lo

Southeastern were one of the refuseniks at the start, along with TfL and Merseyrail. I remember a post on here where someone had issues with SE accepting an e-ticket issued by GWR for a long journey avoiding London, and customer relations dug their heels in saying "we don't recognise e-tickets, it's invalid on SE". Then, they did a complete U turn and promoted e-tickets. Probably more for the other thread on e-tickets, but SE didn't enable any of their rail sale tickets for e-ticketing and got a lot of complaints on Twitter.

GTR always were a bit lukewarm on them. You find all sorts of anomalies with them e.g. returns that are e-tickets, but the equivalent single is paper only. You get the feeling they're not that into it and it's certainly not a priority for them.

 

[81A]

Southeastern were one of the refuseniks at the start, along with TfL and Merseyrail. I remember a post on here where someone had issues with SE accepting an e-ticket issued by GWR for a long journey avoiding London, and customer relations dug their heels in saying "we don't recognise e-tickets, it's invalid on SE". Then, they did a complete U turn and promoted e-tickets. Probably more for the other thread on e-tickets, but SE didn't enable any of their rail sale tickets for e-ticketing and got a lot of complaints on Twitter.

GTR always were a bit lukewarm on them. You find all sorts of anomalies with them e.g. returns that are e-tickets, but the equivalent single is paper only. You get the feeling they're not that into it and it's certainly not a priority for them.

Agreed, one almost gets the feeling that they are just trying to do the bare minimum to avoid being told off for not selling enough smart tickets… Back on topic, further roll out of the printed e ticket by post option, combined with the ability to print an e ticket from a ticket machine (and, of course, the ability to buy a printed barcode ticket at the station/on the train with cash or card and physical smart cards for seasons) would seem to solve all of the “what if my phone breaks” type arguments from the e ticket thread, while allowing the removal of CCST (I would miss CCST as they make a good souvenir, but my souvenir preferences should not keep the railway using obsolete tech).

 

[MrJeeves]

In times of disruption, GTR arranges ticket acceptance on TfL for paper ticket holders only, which I assume means CCST.

In reality, I have never had an issue using an E-Ticket (including Interrail) on these occasions.

CCST acceptance can be switched on easily, and the tickets will work on gatelines, but you have to find a member of staff with an E-Ticket, at least until TfL get around to proper barcode acceptance.

GTR always were a bit lukewarm on them. You find all sorts of anomalies with them e.g. returns that are e-tickets, but the equivalent single is paper only. You get the feeling they're not that into it and it's certainly not a priority for them.

This is almost always a case of the tools for enabling E-Tickets on journeys being rather poor and easy to make mistakes with, rather than it being intentional.

 

[Sonic1234]

Agreed, one almost gets the feeling that they are just trying to do the bare minimum to avoid being told off for not selling enough smart tickets

While (as above) I doubt it's intentional, it does say something about how important it is for them. Traditionally, GTR and SE would have had little advance booking and online sales, their business was season tickets, Oyster and on-the-day purchases: mostly Travelcards and day returns to the coast or the nearest major town bought at the station. Advance purchase would have been mostly connecting onto long-distance services (although Southern have offered their own for a while, apparently started as a response to people misusing long-distance Advances).

Times have changed, see the CCST thread where some people buy online even at the station. But the culture probably still exists within these companies.

SE went Advance-crazy after Covid, trying to attract leisure business to make up for the loss in commuter business. Their advertising still suggests they are suffering from the lack of commuters, they try to make buying an Anytime to go to a meeting sound like a good thing!

 

[81A]

While (as above) I doubt it's intentional, it does say something about how important it is for them. Traditionally, GTR and SE would have had little advance booking and online sales, their business was season tickets, Oyster and on-the-day purchases: mostly Travelcards and day returns to the coast or the nearest major town bought at the station. Advance purchase would have been mostly connecting onto long-distance services (although Southern have offered their own for a while, apparently started as a response to people misusing long-distance Advances).

Times have changed, see the CCST thread where some people buy online even at the station. But the culture probably still exists within these companies.

SE went Advance-crazy after Covid, trying to attract leisure business to make up for the loss in commuter business. Their advertising still suggests they are suffering from the lack of commuters, they try to make buying an Anytime to go to a meeting sound like a good thing!

Indeed, to clarify I wasn’t suggesting they had some form of policy to create e ticket enablement anomalies, rather that enabling E tickets properly does not seem to be a priority for them (since, as above, LNER seem to manage to keep e tickets enabled properly despite the “sub optimal” enablement system, showing that it is possible with enough effort).

 

[styles]

I got CCST in the post the last time I ordered tickets by post, but that was about a year ago via GWR. I so exceptionally rarely get posted tickets that I probably wouldn't know it's changed.

I did however used to work for a railway company (not an operator) where we had our own CCST printing machine in the office and I often wondered how approval for that sort of thing is given!

 

[81A]

I got CCST in the post the last time I ordered tickets by post, but that was about a year ago via GWR. I so exceptionally rarely get posted tickets that I probably wouldn't know it's changed.

I did however used to work for a railway company (not an operator) where we had our own CCST printing machine in the office and I often wondered how approval for that sort of thing is given!

That matches my recent experience with GWR (although that was just before the website update, so it is possible they have switched since). Wow, a (non train operating) company having its own CCST printer is a new one on me! I do wonder how approval is obtained (especially since I’d imagine there would be some risk of fraud).

 

[Wallsendmag]

How does this work for those journeys which normally don't require a tube leg, but the tube can technically be used? Such as connecting to Thameslink from a long-distance service or a north-south journey through the Thameslink core. In times of disruption, GTR arranges ticket acceptance on TfL for paper ticket holders only, which I assume means CCST.

Thats one of the hurdles we're looking at luckily hurdles are a speciality of mine.

 

[81A]

Thats one of the hurdles we're looking at luckily hurdles are a speciality of mine.

I’d imagine you’d have to specialise in hurdles if you wanted to get anything other than simple LNER only journeys enabled…

 

[Wallsendmag]

I’d imagine you’d have to specialise in hurdles if you wanted to get anything other than simple LNER only journeys enabled…

lol

 

[Haywain]

Thats one of the hurdles we're looking at luckily hurdles are a speciality of mine.

At least you don’t have to run between these hurdles!

 

[CyrusWuff]

That matches my recent experience with GWR (although that was just before the website update, so it is possible they have switched since). Wow, a (non train operating) company having its own CCST printer is a new one on me! I do wonder how approval is obtained (especially since I’d imagine there would be some risk of fraud).

The kiosk would be supplied by their Travel Management Company and can only be used to print TOD bookings.

However, such bookings generally don't feed into the national TOD database, so if you don't print them off at the kiosk you'd have to buy a new ticket.

 

[Wallsendmag]

At least you don’t have to run between these hurdles!

I'm definately past that.

 

[styles]

Wow, a (non train operating) company having its own CCST printer is a new one on me! I do wonder how approval is obtained (especially since I’d imagine there would be some risk of fraud).

All the tickets were still legitimately bought so they must've been printed with a unique ticket number at the button.

We also had a relationship with some operators for free tickets.

But yeah I have no idea what RDG or whatever process allowed us to print our own ticket.

Especially given how bad my manager was with rail data - I wouldn't trust most of my superiors at the time with accurate fare data.

 

[Sonic1234]

Wow, a (non train operating) company having its own CCST printer is a new one on me! I do wonder how approval is obtained (especially since I’d imagine there would be some risk of fraud).

Some of the tourist info centres in Sussex have a CCST printer so you can buy a Southern Daysave.

 

[Hadders]

The kiosk would be supplied by their Travel Management Company and can only be used to print TOD bookings.

However, such bookings generally don't feed into the national TOD database, so if you don't print them off at the kiosk you'd have to buy a new ticket.

One of my former employers had such a machine in its reception area. If you wanted to collect tickets from it you had to take great care to select it from the fulfilment options on the checkout screen, rather than let it revert to ToD.

It was more of an issue the other way round, if you needed ToD but selected the kiosk instead. Especially if you weren’t anywhere near the office!

E-tickets made the kiosk redundant and it was removed before Covid, iirc.

 

[Belperpete]

Some of the tourist info centres in Sussex have a CCST printer so you can buy a Southern Daysave.

I understand that the tourist information centre on Barmouth station can sell train tickets. Whether it can print CCST tickets I know not.

However, at one time, it used to be quite common for travel agents to sell train tickets, usually as part of a holiday package, and so have CCST printers. Many companies arrange for their staff travel and accomodation to be booked through a travel agent. The company that I worked for did this, and so each of our offices had a CCST printer that the agent could print the tickets out on (rather than post them to us). At one time, we even had one of the travel agent staff based in our head office.

 

[81A]

Thank you everyone for enlightening me on a whole form of ticket issuing I never knew existed!

Combining other organisations issuing tickets and postal CCST, the visit Britain shop (and the TFL badged version) issue travel cards on a special pre-printed red and white CCST stock that they hand stamp with the date. It is terrible value as you have to pay a hefty postal fee and there is no discount compared to buying at a ticket machine/office, but I tried it once (for novelty value in my CCST collection) and found the magstripe did work the gates, so their tickets are encoded correctly...