Don't get caught out

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

Pointless idea

Hardly, it means people who deserve the seats get them. Picture it like this (lets take the 1803 which is notoriously busy):
Reading Passenger takes seat;
Penzance passenger forgets to make reservation and cannot sit;
Reading passenger gets off at Reading, and a passengers joining at Reading nabs Penzance passengers seat;
Has to stand to at least Exeter;
Not happy about their journey;
Next time they drive.

Simple.

[cereal_basher]

But if the train is that full and standing then the chances of a ticket check before Reading are?


Pointless idea

Not really a pointless idea, it will stop non-regular travellers boarding it, reducing overcrowding. And hopefully RPIs^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context) will catch people using it and Penalty Fare them.

[Rogang]

In reality, how often do you have a ticket check between Paddington and Reading? It has already been said that the xx06 trains leave Paddington 'full and standing', leaving the TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context) or RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context) no chance of getting through the train. The best hope is to make no mention of Reading on the departure screen at Paddington. Most regular travellers to Reading though know that every down HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) stops there and will just take the next available train (including xx06).
High visible advertising about the cost to the customer of getting caught on an xx06 when travelling to Reading is what is needed as a deterent.

[Btline]

But if the train is that full and standing then the chances of a ticket check before Reading are?

Pointless idea

That's part of my point. This can't be enforced: Your "London - Reading" ticket will let you through the barriers both ends. Even if you have to show your ticket to barrier staff - they won't be able to prove you were on a "illegal" service.

And as Reading is such an important interchange, people (from Oxford, Banbury, all over etc.) will be changing to board trains to the South West. So I think it is important to have space onboard, esp if the train is full and standing.

If people can't get on, they'll definitely drive next time. So if people are getting off, that'll create more space. Having no people getting off will just make the train even more crowded.

I do see that it would add extra time to the station dwell though...

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

i dont think we should be arguing about this the only benifit is less station dwell but now that i think about it the people being on the train isnt going to affect the people gettin on at reading as there space will come from people getting off there, as for the paddington-plymouth or further with no seat... thats a problem but only way of solving it would be to have designated seats reserved for journeys going past exeter or taunton ....not going to happen and it wouldnt work even if it did

i think were losing sight of the fact that there is not enough rolling stock and not enough services

this penalty fair is stupid it wont work as it is not enforcable and has no real benifits

(yes i have mis-spelt alot...i really dont care tonight)

[Btline]

the people being on the train isnt going to affect the people gettin on at reading as there space will come from people getting off there

But that's the whole problem. There won't be any people getting off at Reading, so no extra space for Reading (and further afield) passengers.

Are FGW^▸ (First Great Western) forcing people to have to travel via London to guarantee being able to board? Why don't they just take out the Reading call!

[devon_metro]

What the hell? I'm sorry btline but you are talking a load of absolute garbage.

Upon departing paddington:
Previously : Reading + West of England passengers
Now : just west of England passengers.

It's quite simple really, dwell to times will be less as nobody will be getting off the train at Reading, not that it makes any difference to the to timings, it simply gives the long distance passengers more room.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

yeh sorry mate think about it... if the reading passengers dont get on then what is going to take up the space that the passengers getting off at reading would create?

[devon_metro]

yeh sorry mate think about it... if the reading passengers dont get on then what is going to take up the space that the passengers getting off at reading would create?

Exactly...!

[John R]

the people being on the train isnt going to affect the people gettin on at reading as there space will come from people getting off there

But that's the whole problem. There won't be any people getting off at Reading, so no extra space for Reading (and further afield) passengers.

Are FGW^▸ (First Great Western) forcing people to have to travel via London to guarantee being able to board? Why don't they just take out the Reading call!

No, the purpose is to make sure there is as much space as possible for long distance pax joining at Paddington by excluding pax travelling to Reading who have plenty of alternatives. It makes no difference to pax joining at Reading whatsoever.

How would you feel if you couldn't get on a Penzance train at Paddington at 6pm on a Friday night and you knew that 200 people would get off at Reading, who could have caught a train 9 minutes later. Pretty gutted I suspect. 

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

red cats threw the cat flap on the left blue cats threw the cat flap on the right

[smokey]

Now if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) control at Swindon, ever found they needed to move an HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) from Old Oak to Penzance, wound't it be nice if they Laid on a relief service from Reading to Penzance, and on that day issued for the London Padd- penzance a NOT TO STOP order for the Reading "pick up only".

It can be done.

[thetrout]

I see that this is a good idea...! However as Btline says, I don't see how an RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context) or TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context) can check an entire HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) service between London Padd - Reading...

I had a lengthy discussion with a TM a couple of weeks back, They told me that the majority of TM's will only check tickets in First Class between London Padd - Reading and visa versa as they are all gated stations, and to make sure that some pax aren't getting more than they've paid for

[Super Guard]

Now if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) control at Swindon, ever found they needed to move an HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) from Old Oak to Penzance, wound't it be nice if they Laid on a relief service from Reading to Penzance, and on that day issued for the London Padd- penzance a NOT TO STOP order for the Reading "pick up only".

It can be done.

You can guarantee the Reading commuters would only do it once 

[John R]

A couple of posters have used the word "idea" as if to suggest that this is a new concept and a wicked dastardly wheeze by FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

In fact it's been used for many years (I can track back at least to 1974) with Reading stops, the only difference being that in the seventies most commuter time departures were pu only at Reading for South Wales and Bristol as well as the South West. In other words, Reading pax were completely excluded thus keeping the long distance trains free of commuters. If this were still the case, maybe the seats would not be crammed in as much as they are.

Up services were also set down only in the morning rush hour, although this should be less of a problem, as the long distance pax are already on the train, and thus cannot miss their train in the same way that they could on country bound services.

Stevenage, Luton and Watford have had similar constraints in the past (and may still do), dating back to BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) days, and Motherwell is similarly controlled. I can't think of any others, but no doubt somebody will!