Bristol Temple Meads - station, facilities, incidents and events (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

Don't know if it's connected, but all five of the TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) in the car park were hors de combat when I called in this morning to pick up tickets for tomorrow.

Incidentally, why barcode readers as well as smart card readers? I have just book tickets for Mrs FT, N!! and myself from Lisbon to Porto in June, and was able to print out my tickets at home, along with barcode. Surely we're not going to try something that sensible here?

(315 Km, about a 3-hour journey, €9.50 each, btw.)

[JayMac]

Bar code readers for, er, rail tickets with bar codes or QR^▸ (QR Code - Quick Response code) codes.

For print at home rail tickets (yes, there is such a thing) and for the tickets issued from the new hand held devices used on board trains. These replacements for Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains), which issue tickets printed on
a paper roll rather than the traditional card stock, are slowly being introduced across the network.

[TonyK]

Bar code readers for, er, rail tickets with bar codes or QR^▸ (QR Code - Quick Response code) codes.

For print at home rail tickets (yes, there is such a thing) and for the tickets issued from the new hand held devices used on board trains. These replacements for Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains), which issue tickets printed on
a paper roll rather than the traditional card stock, are slowly being introduced across the network.

Into the 1990s we go at last!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Don't know if it's connected, but all five of the TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) in the car park were hors de combat when I called in this morning ...

They were still so at 23:30 last night, when I walked past them on my way into the station. 

However, there were three orange-clad people in the fenced-off ticket barrier area - one of them actually working on the internals of a machine, and the other two chatting to each other. 

[JayMac]

hors de combat

This?



 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Those new Great Western Railway staff uniforms do look very smart, don't they? 

[Red Squirrel]

hors de combat

This?



 

Later in the war they developed a mechanism that flapped the horse's ears out of the way in time with the bullets...

[stuving]

hors de combat

Funny - I thought he meant those very friendly jeunes filles at Madame Yvette's ...

[chuffed]

Do you suppose they travelled from Cannon Street to Horsted Keynes ?

[Western Pathfinder]

Perhaps they did however they may have used The Small Hearse with The Small Horse !..

[TonyK]

hors de combat

This?



 

Joey!!!

On a more joey front, I made my by now at least monthly pilgrimage to BPN last Thursday. I stopped at CNM^» (Cheltenham Spa - next trains) for a coffee (and a sizeable saving on my fare) and noticed that all the TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) there were kaput*. Arriving at BPN, I found that spanking new hi-tech state-of -the-art ticket barriers had been installed, leading to long queues as passengers and staff tried to make them work. At BHM on the return, the whole idea of gateline barriers had been forgotten.


(* Following BNM's droll riposte, I hope to go through as many European euphemisms for "knackered" as I can)

[John R]

A request and a query FT-N.

First the request, although we tend to abbreviate commonly used "in area" station codes, could those out of area be spelt out in full, at least the first time they are used.

Now the query, I'm puzzled as to why you need to alight at CNM^» (Cheltenham Spa - next trains) to take advantage of a split. You can buy both tickets either at the outset or on the train at the same time if so permitted to do (i.e. if you aren't breaching any penalty fare rules). 

[initiation]

The new gateline at Temple Meads is now operational. They are able to read barcodes, smart cards and paper tickets.

In terms of number of barriers, the only change is that the wide gate directly facing the stairs (the one that was previously manually opened by staff during peak rushes) has been replaced by a standard 'wide' cycle/luggage/disabled access width ticket barrier. Because it was the closest to the stairs, a queue built up of those on autopilot while the remaining barriers were free flowing. Frustrating if you have a bike or luggage and only have a choice of 2 barriers to get through. On my return through the extra was out of action and coned off.

[Chris from Nailsea]

The new gateline at Temple Meads is now operational. They are able to read barcodes, smart cards and paper tickets.

However, when I walked through those ticket barriers at Bristol Temple Meads (BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)) at ten to six this evening, all of them were locked in the open position, with not one member of gateline staff in sight. 

[Western Pathfinder]

Same at Swindon this evening at 2100hrs and at B Parkway this evening at 2205hrs both stations were busy plenty of passenger movement both arriving and departing .