Tottenham Hale / Stansted - quasi-blockade

[gpmartin]

Perhaps of interest to the forum, given how often we see posts regarding Penalty Fares for people trying to travel on Contactless or Oyster to Stansted Airport: this morning there was a sort of blockade at Tottenham. People going through the gates Contactless were asked if they were going to Stansted; if they were they were directed to a large team of Greater Anglia staff behind the gates. I assume they were given the opportunity to pay for a ticket without penalty - if so, fair play to GA!

 

[bananas]

I’m amazed by the amount of effort put into trying to convince clueless tourists not to try and use contactless. Have you seen those colossal billboards at Tottenham Hale? How long until contactless just gets extended to Stansted, à la Gatwick?

 

[jfollows]

I’m amazed by the amount of effort put into trying to convince clueless tourists not to try and use contactless. Have you seen those colossal billboards at Tottenham Hale? How long until contactless just gets extended to Stansted, à la Gatwick?

Some time in 2025

Simpler train travel for the South East as contactless ticketing rolls out at 47 more stations

New tap in tap out system will guarantee passengers get the best fare available at the time on the day.

www.gov.uk

Contactless ticketing will be rolled out at a further 49 stations throughout 2025, including London Stansted Airport – meaning all London airports will be accessible by tap-in tap-out ticketing for the first time ever – ensuring seamless connections from train to plane across our capital. This will include 4 stations in the South East being announced for the first time today (20 January 2025):

 

[Joe Paxton]

I’m amazed by the amount of effort put into trying to convince clueless tourists not to try and use contactless. Have you seen those colossal billboards at Tottenham Hale? How long until contactless just gets extended to Stansted, à la Gatwick?

Absolutely not just "clueless tourists" (if by that you mean visitors from overseas) - lots of metropolis dwellers as well. I recall watching a couple heading to Stansted - she just went through the gates using contactless, he hesitated on seeing the bounteous signage and stopped, and then consulted the member of staff on the gateline - she did as well and eventually passed back through the gates (resulting in a 'same station exit') before they went to the machine to buy tickets. From the reaction of the chap staffing the gateline it looked like an incredibly familiar tale!

I imagine the almost unconcious expectation is that people just think they are travelling via a London airport, when it's really a field in (non-metropolitan) Essex.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

It’s very common for those whose travel is only in London to get caught out in trips outside. The inconsistencies are legion. Reigate- no. Gatwick Airport (further from London) yes. And the sheer convenience of using contactless means that those living in London forget that travelling outside can involve going back into the last century.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I’m amazed by the amount of effort put into trying to convince clueless tourists not to try and use contactless.

There has to be, given that you can use Contactless to get to every single other major London airport.

It’s good to see them doing the legwork at Tottenham Hale, and they should be applauded for it. It works be easier for them to just dish out the Penalty Fares at Stansted.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Quite. Getting people annoyed at having to buy a ticket is much less bad than fining them (I know it not a fine) and having them annoyed at both them not being able to use contactless and also getting a penalty fare.

 

[Railguy1]

Why was contactless to Stansted not prioritised over contactless to other stations?

 

[talldave]

Why was contactless to Stansted not prioritised over contactless to other stations?

That would have been logical. This is the railway.

 

[Edvid]

Why was contactless to Stansted not prioritised over contactless to other stations?

Distance was probably a factor; before Phase 1B of Oval went live Reading was the furthest contactless station from a London terminus, and only then because it joined the overarching TfL network. Reading between the lines, it also seems that contactless PAYG acceptance at Stansted wasn't going to happen until agreement was reached on a workable gateline layout.

I was on the walkway above the station yesterday and spotted a trio of boxed-up gatelines - one each for platforms 1a/1b/3b, I think - and new glass barriers to keep the paid / unpaid areas separate. Most of those gates will be wide-aisle versions AFAICT.

 

[plugwash]

I imagine the almost unconcious expectation is that people just think they are travelling via a London airport, when it's really a field in (non-metropolitan) Essex.

Stansted is now very much the odd one out, with Heathrow, Gatwick, City and Luton all on the contactless system.

 

[MikeWh]

I wonder how many people (probably more tourists in this case) will see others using contactless to get into Stansted and think that they can use it to get to Ely, Peterborough or Birmingham?

 

[PeterC]

I wonder how many people (probably more tourists in this case) will see others using contactless to get into Stansted and think that they can use it to get to Ely, Peterborough or Birmingham?

Do those services see a lot of incoming tourists? Brits will generally be on the return leg of a trip for which they have paper or etickets. A flight or two diverted from Birmingham or Manchester could cause issues though.

Of course there will always be people who seem to make a point of getting things wrong.

 

[opteron8250]

I believe Stansted Airport Station should install automatic ticket gates to support oyster and contactless payments, just like Gatwick. However the railway company might be reluctant to do so as they might lose some penalty fare income.

 

[enyoueffsea]

Do those services see a lot of incoming tourists?

A reasonable number of tourists will travel to Cambridge on that line.

 

[CyrusWuff]

I believe Stansted Airport Station should install automatic ticket gates to support oyster and contactless payments, just like Gatwick. However the railway company might be reluctant to do so as they might lose some penalty fare income.

The issue with gating Stansted is that it has around 15 access points to the platforms. That said, it's on the list of stations for a further expansion of contactless, which will presumably primarily involve installation of validators.

There is no way that Oyster will be extended to Stansted, however, as it's limited to 15 zones and those have all been used for previous extensions.

 

[transportphoto]

I believe Stansted Airport Station should install automatic ticket gates to support oyster and contactless payments, just like Gatwick. However the railway company might be reluctant to do so as they might lose some penalty fare income.

Please see the previous post from @jfollows which links to an article discussing Contactless being extended to Stansted Airport:

Some time in 2025

Simpler train travel for the South East as contactless ticketing rolls out at 47 more stations

New tap in tap out system will guarantee passengers get the best fare available at the time on the day.

www.gov.uk