Passenger's anger as train ticket office shuts

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Knowing the papers, they've probably got some facts wrong.

Could it in fact have been the SAME train...?

That's certainly a plausible suggestion, Tom.   And indeed we shouldn't judge a case from the what the papers say, they do indeed simplify / get things wrong.

I appreciate there is a need for staff to be sceptical - there are a lot of people who will try to get away with as much as they can, avoid paying fares, etc; it's disappointing (but no doubt deemed neccesary) that there's a "sceptical training" course ... but in my view there's also a vital need to provide good customer service thoughout to honest customers who are trying to work within the rules, or what they know of the rules.  You shouldn't need an A level in Railway Fare Rules in order to travel by train.

We don't know the detail of the current case.   But I can tell you of an incident at the barriers at Swindon, with a customer being denied entry to the platform. She had a low cost / no break of journey / specific train ticket, Melksham to Paddington and was being asked questions that she didn't underdstand (English not her first language) that came across as having an aggressive tone.  So a "Prima face" case of breaking the rules, with a  revenue protection person only doing his job?   No - actually, First Great western had cancelled her 19:50 connecting train from Melksham ... and the National Rail call centre (after initial advise to wait for the next service, which wasn't due to the following morning) had agreed that if she could get a lift to Swindon, she could start her journey from there on the next available train.   

I really don't envy the job of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff on the ground in trying to sort out (A) the intentional fare dodgers from (B) those who don't know the rules as well as the staff members in question do (and there's a whole other question about how much you should penalise a visitor from out of the area who accidentally gets it wrong) from (C) those who are within the rules, but the system / TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) has let down. 

[Ollie]

Can I just point out that the sceptical training course was meant as a joke.

[grahame]

Can I just point out that the sceptical training course was meant as a joke.

Yes - thank you. It's been a bit of a humerlous week and I shouldn't have been 'caught' by that ...

[swlines]

I'm hedging bets on it being the 0940 Yatton to London Paddington (0738 from Paignton). This train has a 3 minute wait at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) so could well have been 1 minute early. All other possible journies have a connection and are of 14 minutes or longer.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Fair comment, Tom  !  I think you're right: that would make it the 0946 from Nailsea (which I catch sometimes).  Nailsea to BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) is just 10 minutes, so arriving at 0956 would indeed give 4 minutes before it leaves at 10:00 for PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).

It generally uses platform 12 at BTM, so it wouldn't give time for someone to leave the train, go down through the subway, negotiate the barriers, collect a pre-paid ticket and return through the barriers, subway and get back on the train - even if they were an olympic hurdler! 

[devon_metro]

Not quite sure you can fit an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) in 12?

11 perhaps?

[Chris from Nailsea]

So far as I'm concerned, when I get off that train from coach B, Liam, I step down onto platform 12.  However, it's an interesting point: from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Temple_Meads -

The third platform island comprises platforms 9 to 12 and also dates from the 1930s.  It is longer than platforms 5-8 but the rear of a High Speed Train on the west end platforms will block part of the east end platform.

Chris

[vacman]

I believe there is a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at Yatton? which you can pick up tickets from!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Fair comment, vacman - but is it situated inside the ticket office, or outside?  I'm just asking, because if the manned ticket office closes early, the machine too may not be available!

I honestly don't know: can anyone else help?

[Ollie]

Fair comment, vacman - but is it situated inside the ticket office, or outside?  I'm just asking, because if the manned ticket office closes early, the machine too may not be available!

I honestly don't know: can anyone else help?

Can't give you a definite answer, but one of the reasons for a ticket machine is so it's accessible when ticket office unavailable, so if it's inside then that's a bit useless

[grahame]

Can't give you a definite answer, but one of the reasons for a ticket machine is so it's accessible when ticket office unavailable, so if it's inside then that's a bit useless

Chippenham ... I recall seeing the dispatch staff re-opening the booking hall late one night for someone to collect their ticket from the machine carefully locked away in there when the booking staff had gone home.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, grahame! 

On the other hand, both machines at Nailsea are situated very much out in the open - not even inside one of the perspex shelters - so they're almost immediately rendered useless whenever it rains!

 

[Ollie]

Can't give you a definite answer, but one of the reasons for a ticket machine is so it's accessible when ticket office unavailable, so if it's inside then that's a bit useless

Chippenham ... I recall seeing the dispatch staff re-opening the booking hall late one night for someone to collect their ticket from the machine carefully locked away in there when the booking staff had gone home.

In the cases of staffed stations then having it inside is okay, as you say the dispatch staff are able to let people access it.

[vacman]

At least one TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at Yatton is outside on the down side platform entrance.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for that confirmation, vacman! 

In that case, it appears that the lady could indeed have collected her pre-paid tickets at Yatton after all.

However, it would still have been useful to have a member of staff available, to point her in the right direction, so to speak?