The Durham and Grantham barriers were removed as a direct result of a VTEC franchise commitment. The commitment was to staff barriers between 0600 and 2200 (IIRC) but didn't specify where the barriers were, so out came the barriers at Grantham, Durham and Newark as that was the cheaper option, which financed manning those at Peterborough, Darlington and Newcastle.
I think the one of the positives about this is that there will be a more visible staff presence to be able to assist passengers. And obviously we will see a slight increase in ticket sales due, tho I'm confident in my fellow traveler that the vast majority will have bought a ticket in the first place.
I wonder how well (or not) they'll handle full Pendolinos arriving, or even just the Northern services, looks like only 5 gates.
How often do you have a full Avanti service tipping off at Wigan NW?
Even if the full Pendolino isn't emptying everyone at Wigan, 11 carriages contain a lot of potential people to get off.
That's on the Carlisle agency staff present to be ensuring it does not get to that, you have a demarcation point where if footfall has backed up and not moving you plunge the ATGs.
Having the barriers there creates the potential for problems though. As you say it relies on the staff managing the situation effectively, which doesn't always happen. I have encountered plenty of horrific queues in my time.
I've seen that at Wigan on the few occasions the northern ticket check has been in operation when I have got off there.This is good to hear. I would imagine fare evasion to be reasonably high here for journeys into Preston. I recall being very pleased to see Virgin Trains doing a manual ticket barrier at Bank Quay a few years ago and witnessing at least two people walking up and turning round with one of them shouting FFS
Whilst I'm not surprised about the fare evasion you refer to on local journeys, I suspect large numbers don't bother when traveling northbound from Wigan on Avanti services, given that they usually always change Train Managers at Preston (so presumably they won't bother checking tickets after leaving Preston) and of course it's only around 15 minutes Preston to Lancaster, similar length from there to Oxenholme etc. etc. Only one Train Manager checking tickets on a 9/11 coach train.
The listed status applied to Wallgate Station includes not just the canopy at the front of the station but also the cobbled setts on the ground underneath it. It seems unlikely that your suggestion could be implemented.
The 'front unit' dwellers, not just an issue around Preston (pairs of 331s/323s plus 150/1s for Blackpool South at times)
Northern RPIs do often have a block on the P1/2 bridge for that, although I've never seen them in the underpass.
How wise are ppl to this unit arrangement? I’ve heard many ppl looking / acting puzzled when trying to get to the other part of the train
They are in the subway at the bottom of the stairs quite regularly
I have twice seen a train manager on an Avanti train start at the shout end of coach A and head towards the drivers cab checking tickets, thus leaving passengers with no escape, on both occasions they have not reached the cab because of the number of fares they were collecting, I suspect that the revenue gains may be far higher than you think.
They were still open when I used the station last week, but no revenue inspectors to be seen.
