Have your tickets been checked on your journey?

[_toommm_]

Southend, London or Manchester? I guess that TPE implies the latter but .....

The latter; Manchester with Transpennine Express.

 

[WestRiding]

Sheffield to Plymouth, checked by all three guards in charge between Sheffield-Birmingham-Bristol-Plymouth on the 0653 from Sheffield. All excellent staff, kept it simple, no unnecessary waffle.

Came back on the 15:27 Plymouth to Sheffield, ticket was checked once around Bristol. The new Guard from Birmingham onwards, loved the sound of his own voice, rules this rules that, the BTP are travelling with us, advance tickets only valid for this train, if they are not valid for this train you will have to purchase full price tickets. Yet he never showed his face to even check. Still waffling on a good 5 mins out of New Street, I thought he was going to tell us that life jackets were available under the seats for incase of emergency over the River Trent!

Otherwise, top marks to Cross Country. Especially on the way down. A good relaxed attitude, but professional, is good for getting passengers back.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Sheffield to Plymouth, checked by all three guards in charge between Sheffield-Birmingham-Bristol-Plymouth on the 0653 from Sheffield. All excellent staff, kept it simple, no unnecessary waffle.

Came back on the 15:27 Plymouth to Sheffield, ticket was checked once around Bristol. The new Guard from Birmingham onwards, loved the sound of his own voice, rules this rules that, the BTP are travelling with us, advance tickets only valid for this train, if they are not valid for this train you will have to purchase full price tickets. Yet he never showed his face to even check. Still waffling on a good 5 mins out of New Street, I thought he was going to tell us that life jackets were available under the seats for incase of emergency over the River Trent!

Otherwise, top marks to Cross Country. Especially on the way down. A good relaxed attitude, but professional, is good for getting passengers back.

This being the same TOC who reintroduced double sets on the Manchesters Monday week ago and will revert to the pre-COVID timetable on the regional routes next month. I have much respect for XC now.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Last Monday:
Merseyrail exit barrier closed
Lime St. entry barrier closed
TPE to MCV no check
TPE to Manchester Airport guard manual check.
Manchester Airport barriers open.

Yesterday:
Manchester Airport barriers closed
Northern to Oxford Rd no check
TFW to Newton-le-Willows no check
TPE to Lime St. no check
Lime St. barriers closed
Merseyrail barriers closed.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Just done Gloucester to Chippenham via Swindon on GWR, not a single ticket check on any train!

 

[1D54]

EMR guards on form today walking through and inspecting after all stops.

 

[birchesgreen]

I can't remember the last time my ticket was checked on a train, definitely pre-covid. The only time my tickets have been checked is at station barriers plus once some staff from Northern checked tickets on the platform at Winsford.

 

[Watershed]

I can't remember the last time my ticket was checked on a train, definitely pre-covid. The only time my tickets have been checked is at station barriers plus once some staff from Northern checked tickets on the platform at Winsford.

Why would Northern be checking tickets at Winsford? Are you sure you're not thinking of another station?

 

[birchesgreen]

Why would Northern be checking tickets at Winsford? Are you sure you're not thinking of another station?

You are correct, I should have said LNWR.

 

[Kite159]

Did Romsey - Folkestone today (out via Redhill & Tonbridge, back via Eastbourne/Brighton), no ticket checks at all (GWR/Southern/South Eastern). Saw the member of staff on some of the Southern trains checking the front first class area a couple times and was asked where I was travelling to on the 171 from Ashford [due to it being too long for all the stations until Ore]

 

[MrTurbostar170]

Just been checked on Norwich to London for first time since before covid. Announcement was made saying they will be regularly carried out from now on.

 

[Chriso]

Just been checked on Norwich to London for first time since before covid. Announcement was made saying they will be regularly carried out from now on.

Fantastic news on Greater Anglia. I did notice some RPI activity at Southend Victoria on Tuesday and wondered if on train checks had or were shortly due to re-start

 

[Butts]

Just heard on Reporting Scotland that Scotrail are to reintroduce Ticket Checks from Monday

Bang goes my free rides....only joking !!

I had a weird experience at the Barrier in Haymarket coming into work from Falkirk tonight.

Apparently it "asked" to see my railcard according to the Assistant who came over to help me.

I then had to produce my CD card and he let me through.

Has this ever happened to anyone else ?

 

[221129]

Has this ever happened to anyone else ?

Happens all the time all over the country. The barriers can be set to reject Railcard discounted tickets to be checked manually.

 

[spark001uk]

Quite normal. It's happened to me a few times, as recently as a couple of weeks back, qr ticket wouldn't go through gate, so I was let through manually, as far as a group of rpi's, who scanned my qr and asked to see railcard.

 

[route101]

Quite normal. It's happened to me a few times, as recently as a couple of weeks back, qr ticket wouldn't go through gate, so I was let through manually, as far as a group of rpi's, who scanned my qr and asked to see railcard.

I've never got a QR code to work! Were rover/day ranger tickets though.

 

[AJW12]

Just heard on Reporting Scotland that Scotrail are to reintroduce Ticket Checks from Monday

Bang goes my free rides....only joking !!

I had a weird experience at the Barrier in Haymarket coming into work from Falkirk tonight.

Apparently it "asked" to see my railcard according to the Assistant who came over to help me.

I then had to produce my CD card and he let me through.

Has this ever happened to anyone else ?

Based on my experience of using some of their services over the last few months, I think that either revenue is about to rise significantly, or passenger numbers are about to drop; one of the two! On three or four occasions I’ve been waiting for one of their trains and I’ve heard people on the platform discuss getting a ticket and they’ve decided against it, on the basis “they won’t check it so what’s the point” was one I heard.
Overheard a couple of EMR guards chatting on a regional at the weekend, apparently ticket checks are starting again from yesterday for their longer-distance routes.

 

[route101]

Based on my experience of using some of their services over the last few months, I think that either revenue is about to rise significantly, or passenger numbers are about to drop; one of the two! On three or four occasions I’ve been waiting for one of their trains and I’ve heard people on the platform discuss getting a ticket and they’ve decided against it, on the basis “they won’t check it so what’s the point” was one I heard.
Overheard a couple of EMR guards chatting on a regional at the weekend, apparently ticket checks are starting again from yesterday for their longer-distance routes.

Yes, overheard a few people saying they jumped on at High St and purchased a short distance ticket to get through barrier in Edinburgh. I reckon thats why they took off the tickets from another station option on the TVMs.

 

[221129]

Checked on GWR, Paddington Gateline, St Pancras Gateline, EMR and XC. So every train today.

 

[yorkie]

I had a weird experience at the Barrier in Haymarket coming into work from Falkirk tonight.

Apparently it "asked" to see my railcard according to the Assistant who came over to help me.

Not at all unusual; on a recent forum walk & meal in Brum it was noticed that the barriers at Five Ways and University were both set in this mode. I was impressed and almost surprised that my e-ticket (which was not issued to/from either of those stations) worked the barrier including breaking & resuming my journey.

No check Birmingham to York on XC / TPE though, as you'd expect these days. It must be a very long time since I was last checked on TPE! Some XC Guards are checking. LNER is the most consistent operator to check my ticket nowadays.

 

[AJW12]

Yes, overheard a few people saying they jumped on at High St and purchased a short distance ticket to get through barrier in Edinburgh. I reckon thats why they took off the tickets from another station option on the TVMs.

It was. I was chatting to my friend who works at Haymarket a couple of weeks ago who said they have been seeing a lot of people travelling to South Gyle over the last few months…!
As mentioned above, railcard fraud also a biggie right now and some enhanced ticket machine checks going on to try and catch that out. Given I haven’t had my railcard checked since I renewed it in November (and have made many journeys since then), it’s probably the most effective way to dodge a full fare at the moment. That said, I’ve found it very TOC dependent; LNER rarely check (and I use them the most), but in my days of using Northern it would be checked without fail.

 

[Butts]

It was. I was chatting to my friend who works at Haymarket a couple of weeks ago who said they have been seeing a lot of people travelling to South Gyle over the last few months…!
As mentioned above, railcard fraud also a biggie right now and some enhanced ticket machine checks going on to try and catch that out. Given I haven’t had my railcard checked since I renewed it in November (and have made many journeys since then), it’s probably the most effective way to dodge a full fare at the moment. That said, I’ve found it very TOC dependent; LNER rarely check (and I use them the most), but in my days of using Northern it would be checked without fail.

Is it a logical development for Railcards to become smart and you load your ticket onto them hence cutting out the middle man ?

Why don't you have to enter a Railcard Serial Number when purchasing tickets online would that not help. After all you do with a Rail Photocard if buying form a TVM.

No picture on a CD Railcard either so what is the point unless they are going to ask for further ID, unless you are obviously 60 going on 20.

 

[Butts]

It was. I was chatting to my friend who works at Haymarket a couple of weeks ago who said they have been seeing a lot of people travelling to South Gyle over the last few months…!
As mentioned above, railcard fraud also a biggie right now and some enhanced ticket machine checks going on to try and catch that out. Given I haven’t had my railcard checked since I renewed it in November (and have made many journeys since then), it’s probably the most effective way to dodge a full fare at the moment. That said, I’ve found it very TOC dependent; LNER rarely check (and I use them the most), but in my days of using Northern it would be checked without fail.

Also get people travelling to Falkirk getting a ticket to Edinburgh Park along the same lines to get through the barrier.

 

[youngiecj]

Checked on LNER GRA-DON return and on TPE DON-SHF return today.

 

[Kite159]

Saturday -
Checked on all 3 SWR services used
Both services on Exmouth branch (both seemed to have 2 members of staff on board).
Long-distance services, only 1 check on a Plymouth - Exeter service.

Sunday -
2 checks on the way to Reading (guard changed at Basingstoke)
Nothing coming back on the GWR or SWR services.

------------

As for Scotland, there will be a shock for some who have been used to getting away without paying. I would imagine Ayr has been selling a few tickets to Newton-On-Ayr (or Newton-on-Ayr has been popular)

 

[Killingworth]

Very rarely get tickets checked on the Hope Valley stopping trains, even before Covid. Board the front 2 coaches on a 4 car train and you can almost guarantee not to be checked - and very many rely on that.

 

[HSP 2]

No picture on a CD Railcard either so what is the point unless they are going to ask for further ID, unless you are obviously 60 going on 20.

As you have mentioned a CD Railcard (a CD is something I play to listen to music), what is it?

 

[Kite159]

Very rarely get tickets checked on the Hope Valley stopping trains, even before Covid. Board the front 2 coaches on a 4 car train and you can almost guarantee not to be checked - and very many rely on that.

It will be similar to many other routes on Northern which operate with 150/1s (Buxton & Chester via Hale etc). (Or in the days of Pacers)

 

[david1212]

Not at all unusual; on a recent forum walk & meal in Brum it was noticed that the barriers at Five Ways and University were both set in this mode. I was impressed and almost surprised that my e-ticket (which was not issued to/from either of those stations) worked the barrier including breaking & resuming my journey.

No check Birmingham to York on XC / TPE though, as you'd expect these days. It must be a very long time since I was last checked on TPE! Some XC Guards are checking. LNER is the most consistent operator to check my ticket nowadays.

Given pricing to York so presumably also in reverse is the same for all stations in the Birmingham group while a ticket might state York - Birmingham Stations ( i.e. New Street, Moor Street or Snow Hill ) or e.g. York - Birmingham University I wonder if the bar code / QR code is the same for all stations in the Birmingham group ?

 

[Watershed]

Given pricing to York so presumably also in reverse is the same for all stations in the Birmingham group while a ticket might state York - Birmingham Stations ( i.e. New Street, Moor Street or Snow Hill ) or e.g. York - Birmingham University I wonder if the bar code / QR code is the same for all stations in the Birmingham group ?

Fare pricing (which works by clusters, with University and Five Ways in the same cluster as Birmingham Stations for most long-distance flows) is different to ticket validity and the way that e-tickets are encoded.

I think it's just that barriers have finally started being able to work out whether break of journey is permitted on e-tickets.