Trivia: Staffed stations served every two hours or less

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Carstairs presently has a ridiculous 10hr 11 min gap in trains between 0810 and 1821.

That’s beyond absurd.

 

[hexagon789]

That’s beyond absurd.

The Edinburgh-Glasgow via Carstairs was 1tp2h during the day but is currently on hiatus.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

That’s beyond absurd.

Ever been to Carstairs ?

 

[Starmill]

Chill.

Although it's undoubtedly a very different task to at a major station, working the booking office at a small station such as these most operators do have secondary duties that they will be doing when not selling tickets. They vary by operator and things which are the responsibility of the booking office staff in one location will be done exclusively by contractors at others, but they can include anything from emptying the bins to restocking ticket machines with tickets, putting up new posters or taking old ones down and so on. Often they might collect items from trains as they arrive too.

 

[mrd269697]

At my TOC, as well as sell tickets, as Starmill pointed out, we change posters, we brush the stairs, grit the platforms, change bins ect. So it’s much more then just sell tickets.

 

[Parallel]

Indeed, and it was even staffed back in the 80s when all it had was three trains a day in each direction.

As there's not really many local stopping services that serve Pewsey, I wonder if the average priced ticket sold from Pewsey is relatively high justifying the ticket office's opening hours - It seemed to historically have a fair number of smartly dressed commuters (pre-COVID anyway) using the trains at peak times, and I assume a fair amount of mid or long distance travel for other passengers, seeing as there's not a lot in the vicinity by rail at least - the nearest large settlement by rail is probably Newbury but not even all the trains to/from Pewsey stop there!

 

[Gathursty]

Although it's undoubtedly a very different task to at a major station, working the booking office at a small station such as these most operators do have secondary duties that they will be doing when not selling tickets. They vary by operator and things which are the responsibility of the booking office staff in one location will be done exclusively by contractors at others, but they can include anything from emptying the bins to restocking ticket machines with tickets, putting up new posters or taking old ones down and so on. Often they might collect items from trains as they arrive too.

I would say at Wick/Thurso, apart from collecting items on the train, the rest of those tasks don't need to be done once a day. I know Fort William, Mallaig and Oban ticket offices are much more busier when I've seen them but I put that down to sorting out the Sleeper, Jacobite and Ferry queries from passengers.

I'd like to know what extra the Wick/Thurso/Carstairs ticket staff do as it must be mentally draining just sitting and waiting between trains.

 

[Deafdoggie]

I'd like to know what extra the Wick/Thurso/Carstairs ticket staff do as it must be mentally draining just sitting and waiting between trains.

I suspect they own a Kindle.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I suspect they own a Kindle.

The old railway term was "studying the rule book" (and maybe the Sectional and General Appendix)

 

[RPI]

Feniton has a part time ticket office and only has a two hourly service during the day

 

[mmh]

Ever been to Carstairs ?

He probably hasn't, because the railway won't take him there.