Can you collect tickets purchased on-line on the train

[whole diary]

[Btline]

Well, you have rather tied yourself to a stake and pinned a paper target to your chest...

Time for Btline to be AXED?

[JayMac]

You've explained how it works? Sorry, did I miss that? What do I need to do with my smart card when splitting at Didcot Parkway on a day trip with walk up tickets to London from Bristol?

You buy the tickets.
You touch in at the barriers at Bristol to load the tickets.
You touch out at Paddington to get through the barriers.
If you're ticket checked, you touch your card on the reader. As ticket(s) is/are valid, there is a green light and the guard walks on.

Somebody shoot me. (cue: proably a lot of offers... )

Anyone got a gun?  

And if I break my journey en route? Sorry but I don't see how, in my one example, all the route/BoJ^▸ (Break of Journey)/overnight stays can be programmed into a nationwide smart card system.

The current system struggles to take account of all the permutations because it is just too complex. A system that requires massive computational power as it is - 'The Manual', ORCATS^▸ (Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services), LENNON^▸ (Latest Earnings Nationally Networked Over-Night ), National Routeing Guide, National Rail Timetable, RailSail, PlusBus, GroupSave, Rovers/Rangers, Railcards, Peak/Off Peak/Super Off Peak, Seasons.....

I really would love to meet the programmer(s) who could reconcile all that into one accurate smart card system.

Yes, it's often said that with enough monkeys and enough typewriters they could produce the complete works of Shakespeare, but you are looking at decades worth of incomprehensible gobbledygook before they get there..... and it would be bloody expensive.

Oh, if it were as easy as scaling up Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services).....

[ChrisB]

Still haven't told us how Revenue Protection will work either at stations with no barriers.

The TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) worry will be that not having to purchase a physical ticket will mean a lot more temptation to avoid buying - which will either prevent this being popular with TOCS and your idea failing, or more RPIs^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) being employed to keep down fraud.

I vote BTLine pays this increased cost out of his pocket, or he has to solve the problem. Checking smartcards will take at least twice as long as looking at a paper ticket, and we know how often a guard is unable to get through his train - either for the number of stops on route, or crowded trains....

[grahame]

We've moved an awful long way from the original question here, and I fear that the spirited and boisterous approach of some contributors may have frightened off DavidH - our topic starter, who's a first time poster.

Regrettably, we're all agreed that you're not allowed to purchase a ticket online and collect it on the train.  The train conductor doesn't have the ability to issue such tickets.

Also, regrettably, there's no mechanism through which you can print out or have a proof of purchase to let you travel, so you must either collect it before you start your journey (even if that involves an extra trip), or book far enough ahead to allow for it to be delivered.

There are times that - with a pragmatic approach and goodwill from the staff involved, you may be allowed to travel based on a "proof" of purchase from a station that has no ticket issuing facilities to one where you have arranged to collect your ticket, but if you do / try that, you're relying purely on the goodwill of the staff member(s) concerned.

I think we can all agree that it's very frustrating that you can book a ticket online for a National Express coach journey, print it it out at home, and travel without having to go somewhere other that where you join the coach to collect first. And you can book an airline ticket at home, print it out and checkin without having to go somewhere other than your starting airport first. You can do the same with a ferry ... gosh - I understand some of the issues, but I really with the trains could find a way of coming into line with the common standard!

[Btline]

You can do print at home tickets on some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company), e.g. XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) and EC. I think it's a bit cheeky to get me to print my own ticket, but it saves a trip to the station.

[ChrisB]

I think we can all agree that it's very frustrating that you can book a ticket online for a National Express coach journey, print it it out at home, and travel without having to go somewhere other that where you join the coach to collect first. And you can book an airline ticket at home, print it out and checkin without having to go somewhere other than your starting airport first. You can do the same with a ferry ...

Hmmm - you're not fully comparing like with like here - certainly for flights & coaches, you book onto a certain service (like an advance, and with Advance rail, you are able to print @ Home with some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company)) - and likely with ferry trips too.

If you book a fully flexible air ticket, you can't print at home until you select your flights. I think this is true of coach tickets (and I think ferry tickets)....

So, if you're happy to have to specify your service before travel, yes, you could Print @ Home your rail ticket a lot more easily too....

[DavidH]

Not put off at all - an excellent discussion.  Based on the advice here I went to Twyford as usual to collect my tickets the day before and then caught  a direct Henley - Paddington train from Wargrave. (WGV is an unmanned station with no machine - it even has free parking so its not all bad).

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thank you, DavidH, for such a well-reasoned and restrained reply!