ticket gates to be installed at Coventry again

[AndyW33]

Lincoln and Hereford also have similar: three or four gates jutting out onto the platform from the booking office, in Hereford's case facing one side only. Dread to think how bad it must get at Lincoln when the Markets are on. .

When the markets are on at Lincoln, the gates are only used for people travelling against the peak flow (so departing passengers in the morning and early afternoon and arriving passengers in the late afternoon and evening). The main flow of passengers pass through manual ticket checks using other routes on and off the platform that are otherwise normally locked.
I went to the markets last year and the system worked well, largely because EMT had thrown lots of people at the problem. So many people in fact that when some idiot decided to jump the gates and then run across four tracks to get from the station entrance to the island platform instead of using the footbridge, they used apprehending him as a training exercise in using their radio network - and BTP were on scene to collect him from EMT within 5 minutes.

 

[brick60000]

Looking at the image in this article, it looks as if Stafford may also be getting barriers as part of the refurbishment of the entrance foyer:
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/06/18/in-pictures-stafford-railway-station-to-undergo-1million-overhaul/

 

[Bevan Price]

The railway is quite within its rights to install a gateline wherever it happens to wish to, and as a fare paying passenger who gets rightly fed up of those who feel paying is optional I'm quite happy for them to do so wherever it is felt commercially sensible to do so.

Some of us are quite happy to have our tickets checked - by a human being. In the past, the traditional checkers were pretty effective at spotting "dodgy" (or "nil") tickets - but of course that was before the job was passed to (cheaper, but often disinterested) contract staff.

Gates that "swallow" tickets are a menace - they delay passengers, and fail to recognise lots of valid tickets, and still need to be staffed because they are imperfect - it would be better (and possibly cheaper) to recruit & train competent people than to spend miilions on gates.

 

[Aldaniti]

Gates that "swallow" tickets are a menace - they delay passengers, and fail to recognise lots of valid tickets, and still need to be staffed because they are imperfect - it would be better (and possibly cheaper) to recruit & train competent people than to spend miilions on gates.

Spot on. They're just one more minor annoyance for the railway's customers, the majority of whom buy a ticket.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Spot on. They're just one more minor annoyance for the railway's customers, the majority of whom buy a ticket.

Am I the only one who really doesn't mind them provided there are enough of them? They reduce ticketless travel, you can talk to a person if you need to (might be easier to provide one properly trained person than 10 for a fully manual barrier?), they increase the feeling of safety because only ticketholders get access including a reduction in toilet vandalism, and they stop me getting PFed if I forget my ticket[1] because I'm prevented from passing. What's not to like?

[1] I don't do this often, but it has happened occasionally, and each time it has saved me about 50 quid (twice the single fare would kick in for most of my journeys, and a PF would be certain at the Euston barrier).

 

[dvboy]

If they are manned when they should be. MKC, WFJ, BHI and others are rarely manned properly........

BHI doesn't have barriers.

 

[Bletchleyite]

BHI doesn't have barriers.

Indeed not. Though I imagine it'll get them, and it'll be an easy one to do because the layout is set up for manned barriers (even though they haven't existed for years).

The funny thing about MKC (as mentioned in the post you replied to) is that it is mostly manned in the peak, during which time most passengers aren't fare-evading as the vast majority have season tickets.
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Talking of VT stations, Preston will be a difficult one to do without major modifications to the access from the Fishergate Centre side, or closing it which would be VERY unpopular. When there were manned barriers years ago that entrance used to be for ticket holders only with a manned barrier on the bridge; I suppose they could return to that (but with an automatic barrier just outside instead) and put a TVM or two outside. The bridge isn't wide enough to have a paid/unpaid side.

 

[GatwickDepress]

In my experience, MKC is consistently manned throughout the day; being left open in the early mornings and late evenings.

 

[Amy Worrall]

Some of us are quite happy to have our tickets checked - by a human being.

Yeah, this. I really don't want to put an annual gold card that cost me many thousands of pounds into a little slot which may or may not choose to keep it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yeah, this. I really don't want to put an annual gold card that cost me many thousands of pounds into a little slot which may or may not choose to keep it.

Hundreds of thousands of people do on a daily basis, and it doesn't keep it. I have never had a season ticket of any kind retained.

In the incredibly unlikely event it did, you'd just go to the staff and ask them to retrieve it, showing your photocard to prove it is yours.
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In my experience, MKC is consistently manned throughout the day; being left open in the early mornings and late evenings.

They could really do with doing some early-hours blocks. A lot of people I know refer to the "free train" in the late evening - no attempt whatsoever is made at revenue checks other than at Euston and a very small number of guards.

 

[Flamingo]

Spot on. They're just one more minor annoyance for the railway's customers, the majority of whom buy a ticket when forced to.

Fixed that for you.

A sizeable minority either only buy one when told to, or ask for one from the nearest unbarriered station when stopped at a barrier or on-board. A sizeable proportion of the remainder only buy one if they think they can't get out the other end without one.

If the passengers who do buy tickets get annoyed by a system that is there to deter/catch the ones that don't, do you not think that their ire should be directed at the faredodgers?

 

[GatwickDepress]

They could really do with doing some early-hours blocks. A lot of people I know refer to the "free train" in the late evening - no attempt whatsoever is made at revenue checks other than at Euston and a very small number of guards.

Oh yes, I often walk with my boyfriend onto the platform to see him off on the 0521 and there's a fare (fnar, fnar) few people I've overheard taking advantage of the open barriers. Being manned from 0500 until at least 2200/2230 would be perfect I wager, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.

It's a good thing MKC's platforms aren't a compulsory ticket area or else I'd have just incriminated myself...

 

[ag51ruk]

At least not enough space really to have them at Wolves :P

Wolverhampton is on the list of stations due to have ticket gates fitted.
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Regarding the flapperboard, it was rare to see one at any railway station in the UK, let alone a major Intercity station. It is a part of the station's history - similar how the Doric Arch was a part of London Euston's history before being controversially demolished in the mid 1960s. I do appreciate that parts may be tricky to get for the flapperboard as years have passed by since it was installed, but as a compromise, it could just solely be used for either Intercity departures, or all stations local services, with the other types of services being displayed on either CRT or LED screens

Solari indicators were widely used all over the UK until the 80s, many large stations had the full size ones that were in use at Birmingham but there were hundreds of 'next train' ones on platforms at suburban stations in the south east of England, and also around Glasgow and Cardiff. The last operational one in the UK was at Watford Junction, although the main board at Brighton survived out of use until relatively recently. Over time, they become unreliable (lots of moving parts) and are less flexible - they cant easily show delay info (although NS in the Netherlands did this to an extent before they also replaced theirs in the last few years) , it took ages to add NSE flaps to some of the ones in Kent, imagine the cost of trying to keep up to date with changes to TOC names these days!

 

[181]

Solari indicators were widely used all over the UK until the 80s

Until the 80s? OK, Waterloo had its big one as far back as I can remember (1970-something), but at suburban stations (including even Clapham Junction if I remember rightly) they were installed for the first time in the 1980s -- until then boards like this (but black rather than green) were the norm. The more sophisticated version had a set of boards permanently attached in the vertical position with levers to raise them for display when required.

 

[ag51ruk]

Until the 80s? OK, Waterloo had its big one as far back as I can remember (1970-something), but at suburban stations (including even Clapham Junction if I remember rightly) they were installed for the first time in the 1980s -- until then boards like this (but black rather than green) were the norm. The more sophisticated version had a set of boards permanently attached in the vertical position with levers to raise them for display when required.

Should have said 90s! As part of the London Bridge re signalling, most south east London stations got a Solari indicator on the London bound platform but kept those fingerboards on the down platform. In those days, there were still platform staff to change them- and collect tickets as people got off trains, so no gates needed. But I do think gates are a good idea as part of a planned revenue protection policy and will welcome them on the West Coast.

 

[TomJ93]

The problem with barriers is that they shut off entrances inconvenient to the TOC. Warwick Road from Coventry without having to go through the concourse has been the difference between catching a London train or missing it for me in the past- interestingly they never reopened it after the barriers were removed. Stoke on the MANC platforms will probably lose that handy shortcut to the car park, or you end up with the ridiculous situation at Nottingham, where the ticketless can just use the bridge that connects to the tram as its a public right of way.

As someone else said, Grantham is an absolute joke as can be the EMT platforms at STP. New st when manned is also bad- oh B ends are being manned? Best go down the escalators and up to the A end where they aren't or vice versa.

Rugby could be interesting, do both sides of the subway and P1 is free, individual Platforms have their own barriers? P1s stairs will be tough and I can always just use the lifts!

What's needed is proper revenue checks on the trains and at the stations by staff, surely departure checks, on board checks and checks when leaving the station will catch all hopefully but will the increased revenue outweigh the cost of the man power?

 

[Metrailway]

There has been further developments at Coventry station which have had planning permission approved recently.

In addition to the barriers, the manned ticket office will now be moved to where the Travel Centre currently is. The TVMs will also be moved away from the concourse.

The station will gain two new retail units, one 210 sqm and one 52 sqm. A small store will also be added to the First Class Lounge as well.

Proposed station plan:
http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/AttachmentShowServlet?ImageName=1223334

 

[TomJ93]

Went through yesterday- first time I'd used a ticket office in ages as none of the TVMs were ready.

Still no idea what's happening on Platform 4?

 

[Amy Worrall]

I have an annual season ticket. Is it possible to get it put on some kind of smart card that can open the barriers via contactless, like Oyster in London? It'll be really annoying having to take the fragile little bit of card out of its wallet twice a day.