TVMs at very small stations [DotD - 20.3.2020]

[whole diary]

[grahame]

These are what I would describe as "wayside" stations in The North ... and in "GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) land" I very much doubt they would garner a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) in "our parts". 

Indeed - Melksham (with 75,000 passengers) has been described as an exception to the GWR rule having a machine installed for such a low number - and yet passenger numbers at the three stations shown above added together fall short of Melksham.   Passenger numbers per train is perhaps a better way to evaluate the need for a TVM - a station with a train each way every 30 minutes and 75,000 passengers has 3 people joining each train and the train manager can easily sell tickets before the next station.  A station with a train every 2.5 hours each way and the same annual count has 15 people joining each train and - especially on busy trains - an impractical task for the train manager.

I also note the lack of shelter on these Northern TVMs ... do they work in the wet?   Can the screen be seen with sun shining on it?   Is it healthy to finger the screen that others have fingered?   Discussion of the day!

[ellendune]

Fingering the machine - on the screens on phones and tablets you can use a special pointer thing (it probably has a name) is that an option. I have heard talk that in Hong Kong people have been operating the buttons of lifts with toothpicks.

[grahame]

Fingering the machine - on the screens on phones and tablets you can use a special pointer thing (it probably has a name) is that an option. I have heard talk that in Hong Kong people have been operating the buttons of lifts with toothpicks.

When out and about last week, I took to pressing open door buttons with my coat cuff; not sure about touch sensitive screens though - do they need some sort of contact?

[PhilWakely]

Fingering the machine - on the screens on phones and tablets you can use a special pointer thing (it probably has a name) is that an option. I have heard talk that in Hong Kong people have been operating the buttons of lifts with toothpicks.

When out and about last week, I took to pressing open door buttons with my coat cuff; not sure about touch sensitive screens though - do they need some sort of contact?

Disposable gloves work.

[Bob_Blakey]

Concerning 'TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) At Very Small Stations' I regard the Coronavirus outbreak as a side issue - even if it never disappears entirely it will eventually reduce/be reduced to a level at which Joe Public cease to worry about it (and only have sensible stocks of bog roll, pasta & baked beans at home).

In my view the most important factor in this is revenue protection; if station usage is such that the guard / conductor / TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context) (if such exists) can be sure that an appropriate on-train ticket check will always be possible then a TVM would seem like an unnecessary drain on business finances. In that scenario, given the way our train services are presently run, you would have to say that there should be a TVM at the vast majority of these stations. I have always believed that every train should carry a 'guard' and that in addition to their essential safety critical tasks, in which list BTW^▸ (by the way) I do not include opening of the doors, the checking & selling of tickets should be a mandatory responsibility. To that list I would however add a requirement to check that any TVM is working.

[Bmblbzzz]

Not sure how on-train staff can check the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) is working?

[Clan Line]

I have heard talk that in Hong Kong people have been operating the buttons of lifts with toothpicks.

Hope they weren't using them for their prime purpose afterwards  .    I have been using the end of a key................(mechanical buttons only !)

[Bmblbzzz]

Fingering the machine - on the screens on phones and tablets you can use a special pointer thing (it probably has a name) is that an option. I have heard talk that in Hong Kong people have been operating the buttons of lifts with toothpicks.

Stylus?

[JontyMort]

I was staggered to find the other day that there is no ticket machine at Pershore - not sure what annual usage is.

[TonyN]

A Ticket machine is being installed at Pershore it must be the last thing on the list of commitments for the current franchise. The groundwork was being done the last time I used the station a couple of weeks ago.

[grahame]

I was staggered to find the other day that there is no ticket machine at Pershore - not sure what annual usage is.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/smr/PSH.html - 95,000 in most recent year.  At 37 train calls per day, that is (or has been) about 7 or 8 people joining each train which I suspect the train manager has been able to cope with ...

A Ticket machine is being installed at Pershore it must be the last thing on the list of commitments for the current franchise. The groundwork was being done the last time I used the station acouple of weeks ago.

Noted, thanks, TonyN.   

I wonder if there's any expectation (or evidence) of Pershore users moving their railhead to Worcestershire Parkway?

[JontyMort]

I was staggered to find the other day that there is no ticket machine at Pershore - not sure what annual usage is.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/smr/PSH.html - 95,000 in most recent year.  At 37 train calls per day, that is (or has been) about 7 or 8 people joining each train which I suspect the train manager has been able to cope with ...

A Ticket machine is being installed at Pershore it must be the last thing on the list of commitments for the current franchise. The groundwork was being done the last time I used the station acouple of weeks ago.

Noted, thanks, TonyN.   

I wonder if there's any expectation (or evidence) of Pershore users moving their railhead to Worcestershire Parkway?

Well, it depends where they’re going. Bristol, Birmingham, or anywhere accessible from the Midland route yes. London, clearly not.

[TonyN]

I have heard that the Worcestershire Parkway affect works both ways.
Local young people are now able to get to Birmingham from Pershore for 9am without having to leave Pershore at 6am.
But People who used to rely on lifts to Pershore are now driving themselves to parkway. Car parking at Pershore is normally full by 6.15am.

As for the usage figures they are very unreliable from a point of view of numbers as revenue collection on trains to Worcester is very poor. However this is unlikley to represent much financial loss due to the low fares involved compared to the much better revenue collection towards London.

[SandTEngineer]

One of the things I discovered today is that TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) can issue a 'Promise to Pay' ticket that you show to the train conductor to allow him to issue a valid ticket from the relevant station, if required.  I assume this is for destinations or ticket types not issued by the TVM.  Anybody aware of that?

[grahame]

One of the things I discovered today is that TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) can issue a 'Promise to Pay' ticket that you show to the train conductor to allow him to issue a valid ticket from the relevant station, if required.  I assume this is for destinations or ticket types not issued by the TVM.  Anybody aware of that?

There is prominent encouragement on Northern services / at Northern stations to passengers to obtain such a ticket if joining at a smaller station, and as you see from my pictures, machines are even at places with tiny footfalls such as Danby, Lealholm and Glaisdale.