Growth in rural line traffic

[whole diary]

[RichardB]

Trowres is absolutely right about the station usage figures. The branch line journey figures quoted are different in that they are simply ticket sales to/from branch line stations plus a manual addition for the Tamar Valley and Tarka^▸ (Branch line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line Carnets.

[LiskeardRich]

The 90.6% increase on Truro-Falmouth line,

Would that increase be BEFORE this years New Truro Gate line?

Allegedly, 600+ 'NEW' journeys per day have been counted since gatelines were installed.  Not that I am accusing the good folk of Falmouth and Pernryn of fare dodging :-)

This doesnt surprise me. I live in Penryn, and the number of times i've seen it impossible for the guard to get around, and then the crowds use to walk out the end by the level crossing avoiding the booking office.

[Maxwell P]

The 90.6% increase on Truro-Falmouth line,

Would that increase be BEFORE this years New Truro Gate line?

Allegedly, 600+ 'NEW' journeys per day have been counted since gatelines were installed.  Not that I am accusing the good folk of Falmouth and Pernryn of fare dodging :-)

This doesnt surprise me. I live in Penryn, and the number of times i've seen it impossible for the guard to get around, and then the crowds use to walk out the end by the level crossing avoiding the booking office.

Exactly!    and...apart from the revenue issue, Truro is also a much safer station to dispatch from as 'visitors' are now severely restricted. We may yet see the Penalty Fare zone extended to Penzance and that station gated to boot, but nothing concrete at present.

[FarWestJohn]

The growth would be even more on the Falmouth branch if you could purchase a ticket. Yet again at Perranwell on Saturday I boarded the train and sat there holding the correct fare but no one came around. This happens even more often since the gates have been installed at Truro. I normally purchase a return on the way back but on Saturday I was only going one way. Both branch trains were single 153s and not packed perhaps the guards ticket machine was not working?
On a Sunday recently when no one came around I counted 24 passengers that got on at Penryn and Penmere who were not asked to pay.
As First are so hot with there penalty fare scheme perhaps there ought to be a similar system set up so that passengers could log when no one comes around to collect fares?
It is pretty obvious that the passenger numbers quoted for branch travel are considerably less than reality.

[LiskeardRich]

indeed Farwestjohn, i'd say from my trips into Falmouth, from Penryn 50% of passengers do not pay as no machine/ office at either end as you know, and impossible for guard to get round to everyone in 8-9 minutes!

[Maxwell P]

Very valid points made in the above posts. AFAIK^▸ ('as far as I know'), there are plans to introduce Ticket Vending Machines at FMT and PYN, but I don't know when.  It must also be extremely frustrating not to be able to purchase tickets on train.  I totally agree, there is no point in banging on about fare evaders when simple steps to allow tickets to be sold are not being taken.  I will refer this thread to an RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context) colleague.