Ticket Barriers at Macclesfield?

[thenorthern]

When I was on the train the other day the conductor said that Virgin Trains are introducing ticket barriers at Macclesfield and Manchester Piccadilly soon. Does anyone know if this is true or not? If it is it would be a kick in the teeth for Cheshire commuters who travel without a ticket every morning.

 

[The Planner]

Not sure how actual barriers would work at Picc, can imagine it being a bit of a bottleneck.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Yeah, was part of the extended franchise arrangements wasn't it? There's a couple more too - Wolves for one.
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Here we are: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1826291&postcount=24

Not Wolves at all but Euston, Rugby, Birmingham Intl, New St, Stoke, Macclesfield, Crewe, Stockport and Man Piccadilly.

 

[thenorthern]

I wouldn't imagine they would easily be able to fit them in at Stoke-on-Trent. Virgin Trains seems to be rather lax about ticket barriers compared to other operators so it surprises me that they are planning to introduce them.

 

[swt_passenger]

I wouldn't imagine they would easily be able to fit them in at Stoke-on-Trent. Virgin Trains seems to be rather lax about ticket barriers compared to other operators so it surprises me that they are planning to introduce them.

If DfT have required Virgin to start using them, as part of the new direct award contract, being rather lax won't be an option.

 

[thenorthern]

The amount of passengers boarding without tickets at Macclesfield I would think is quite big so I think it can only be a good thing making them pay.

Are there any Virgin Trains managed stations which do currently have ticket barriers? I can't think of any.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Crewe has barriers doesn't it?

 

[The Planner]

Nope.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

None of the 17 VT-operated stations are gated. Coventry was until a few years ago,

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I wouldn't imagine they would easily be able to fit them in at Stoke-on-Trent. Virgin Trains seems to be rather lax about ticket barriers compared to other operators so it surprises me that they are planning to introduce them.

Especially with it being a listed building.

Also the subway comes up in the ticket hall rather than platform 1, leaving little space between the subway stairs, the ticket office and the public highway. You can't risk passengers queuing on the stairs (health and safety) whilst waiting for others to clear the barriers, yet people need to be to enter the ticket hall in order to buy their tickets - machine or counter!

Oh, then there's the exit to the car park on platform 2 to cover, and the minor entrance for the taxi rank. That's a lot of barrriers, and staff assistance to provide.

Methinks it hasn't been thought through.

 

[thenorthern]

Especially with it being a listed building.

Also the subway comes up in the ticket hall rather than platform 1, leaving little space between the subway stairs, the ticket office and the public highway. You can't risk passengers queuing on the stairs (health and safety) whilst waiting for others to clear the barriers, yet people need to be to enter the ticket hall in order to buy their tickets - machine or counter!

Oh, then there's the exit to the car park on platform 2 to cover, and the minor entrance for the taxi rank. That's a lot of barrriers, and staff assistance to provide.

Methinks it hasn't been thought through.

I can't see them installing ticket barriers without having access to the booking hall from the car park as it would make the car park useless for rail users, any installation of barriers at Stoke-on-Trent would require a major modification to the station which is unlikely to happen.

In my opinion the problem with Stoke Station is for years it was left and coping fine but now rail companies are choosing to run trains through there rather than Crewe which means the station is now congested is unable to expand because of other buildings in the vicinity.

 

[47802]

If DfT have required Virgin to start using them, as part of the new direct award contract, being rather lax won't be an option.

Or Perhaps they were one of the few TOC's who actually wanted to encourage customers rather than discourage them

So if we are getting them at Crewe presumably the handy direct access from the bottom of car park onto platform 12 is now going to disappear.

 

[CC 72100]

Or Perhaps they were one of the few TOC's who actually wanted to encourage customers rather than discourage them

Which is all very well as long as these new customers in abundance pay :roll:

 

[herschell]

Not a Virgin operated station but Glasgow Central which the Glasgow-London service starts from has ticket barriers though not on to the platforms usually used for these trains, platforms 1 & 2 which I assume would be easy to add barriers to if required

 

[Starmill]

Lax or not lax, we have no idea. VT staff don't operate any gatelines and as stated above none of their Managed Stations have gates. It's said that they are coming in the Direct Award and was discussed on here at the time. Some of the stations named, particularly Manchester Piccadilly, have been under discussion for barriering for a very long time. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

With a large station in mind, how do the banks of these machines at Leeds cope with the passenger numbers who use them?

 

[dvboy]

VT put a ticket check on at Wolverhampton on Monday evening to coincide with the England U21 match, and the queue on platform 1 to buy tickets to exit was huge, and it was really crowded around the concourse area.