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Rail is reporting that an industry standard has been agreed by train operators for a secure barcode ticketing system, which would work with mobile phones or printout from computers, for the full range of tickets, both advance and 'walk-up'. The system's developer says it is compatible with about 90 per cent of all mobiles in use in the UK today.

Barcode tickets sound like a great idea.  I'm not so sure that putting them on a phone screen rather than a bit of paper is a good idea though.  Will this not lead to people loosing their ticket when their battery goes flat (or pretending that is what has happened.  I can just hear the arguments with the Guards now....

You'll just have to memorise the barcode. 

I recall an "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" quiz round.  Question from Humphrey Lyttleton - what has the barcode: thick black thick white thick black thin white thin black thick black etc etc?

It could save you a penalty.

You read it here first.

Just out of idle curiosity on my part, welshman, but is there a Welsh language version of such barcodes ... ?  ;D

Your codes are obviously all thick... ;D

Amazingly, the Welsh for barcode is "c^d bar".   So if you speak Welsh you put the ticket in the other way round.   That's how we know who's English.  Ingenious, eh? 

Phone tickets have been working in Italy for a few years now. I was very surprised when the guard came through a Florence to Rome express and all the passengers started showing them their mobile phones.

Do the automatic gates (many of which have been installed recently at great cost) have the capability to read the barcodes?  If not someone has been very short sighted.   

I can't think that any modification can be that complex. Chiltern have scanners wired into gates at Marylebone as they already have their own barcode ticketing system, also used by sister compnay Wrexham and Shropshire, who have a what to do guide on their website at http://www.wrexhamandshropshire.co.uk/admin/project/uploaded-media/how-to-scan-your-mobile-ticket-w-s-version.pdf (http://www.wrexhamandshropshire.co.uk/admin/project/uploaded-media/how-to-scan-your-mobile-ticket-w-s-version.pdf)

Will revenue staff be carrying hand-held scanners?

Chiltern and W&S conductors do, so I'm sure everyone else will.