Help button on Gatelines

[SCDR_WMR]

Crewe has one too, at one of the smaller gatelines, unsure which one exactly, I think it's one for the car park (happy to be corrected).

Have needed to use it a few times, you get connected via video camera and get told to show your ticket.

Yes, there is one on the Weston Road exit as that is non-staffed.

 

[alastair]

Truro up side has a similar set up, you hold your ticket up to a screen where staff the other side can see it and then let you through remotely.

 

[DelW]

Most of the posts above are referring to gate-lines on secondary entrances / exits, with a remote connection to the staff at the main gate-line.

I don't know what the OP** had in mind, but my post (which they quoted there) referred back to a situation where the *only* gate-line at a (London Underground) station was closed but unstaffed. It was suggested that I should have used a help point to gain access when my mag-stripe ticket failed to work the entry gate.

**Note, following some forum editing, that post is now no 4 in this thread.

 

[Sussex Ben]

Burgess Hill also has these on the gatelines out to the card parks either side of the station, while the station building gateline is staffed.

Despite this, the side entrances are often left with the gates open, or the outbuildings are shuttered and the side gate is opened instead, even while the main station gateline is staffed.

Only the gates for plat 1 are remotely operated. Plat 2 should always be staffed if operational.

I’m not sure whether plat 1 can be remotely controlled from the station building gateline, however it’s usually the case that if one side is left open, both are.

 

[miklcct]

There's not usually a help button for London Underground gates.


Wouldn't it be better to complain and ask for the money back? It would take about 2 minutes to do. https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/contact-us-about-tube-and-rail

A while ago, I went to West Hampstead (Underground) station hoping to add my railcard discount into my Oyster card. There was no staff visible. I then pressed the help button to contact staff.

I checked again today at Willesden Green and there is also a help button next to the ticket machine, visible at the gateline.

Some time ago at Crystal Palace station, the barriers were closed with no LO staff around. Some guys in their 40s-50s were having trouble with their paper tickets. In the end, they all crawled under the wide gate barriers, slowly, one-by-one...

It also happened to me at Queens Road Peckham, or Willesden Junction station as well some days ago and I couldn't see a help button.

I wonder if the designs of Underground and Overground stations are different.

 

[Bikeman78]

Are you seriously advising people to commit a criminal offence?

If the passenger holds a valid ticket, what offence is being committed? Possibly criminal damage if the barrier gets damaged.

 

[JonathanH]

If the passenger holds a valid ticket, what offence is being committed?

A passenger may hold a valid ticket but be able to extend its validity by not passing it through a barrier - eg when in possession of the return portion of an off-peak return.

Isn't the offence not to give up a ticket for inspection when asked?

 

[Bikeman78]

A passenger may hold a valid ticket but be able to extend its validity by not passing it through a barrier - eg when in possession of the return portion of an off-peak return.

Isn't the offence not to give up a ticket for inspection when asked?

I was thinking of the scenario in post #104 where the ticket is a travelcard. If the barrier rejects it and there's no staff there, that's hardly the passenger's fault. I seriously doubt that any action would be taken against someone jumping over or crawling under the barriers with a valid ticket.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If the passenger holds a valid ticket, what offence is being committed? Possibly criminal damage if the barrier gets damaged.

It's a Byelaw offence to pass through any barrier, gate or door in a way other than intended, or some such.

I would be surprised to see a prosecution where a valid ticket was held, though.

 

[Kite159]

It's a Byelaw offence to pass through any barrier, gate or door in a way other than intended, or some such.

I would be surprised to see a prosecution where a valid ticket was held, though.

Sadly, Knowing the railway, I wouldn't put it past them to try and prosecute someone if they dared push out of an unmanned barrier when their valid ticket doesn't work and the attendant is missing in action (gone to the toilet etc).

 

[danm14]

Sadly, Knowing the railway, I wouldn't put it past them to try and prosecute someone if they dared push out of an unmanned barrier when their valid ticket doesn't work and the attendant is missing in action (gone to the toilet etc).

I suspect some TOCs would happily extort a bribe out of agree to settle out of court with a person in this position.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I suspect some TOCs would happily extort a bribe out of agree to settle out of court with a person in this position.

I've had to push through a gateline once, at Elephant and Castle. No staff anywhere to be seen, and the emergency open button was not working. Had any attempt to do that been made, I'd have made sure they were hauled up for breach of fire regulations in revenge, which would have been worth a £100 settlement or whatever.

I've also had to use the egress on a train when the driver walked off at the terminus without releasing the doors* on a late night DOO train, and would have similarly made a fuss if the platform staff had done anything other than apologise when, having used said egress, I said they might want to go and reset it. Fortunately they did just apologise.

* Suspect he had pressed the button but some sort of SDO fault had resulted in the release not actually happening.

 

[moogal]

A while ago, I went to West Hampstead (Underground) station hoping to add my railcard discount into my Oyster card. There was no staff visible. I then pressed the help button to contact staff.

I checked again today at Willesden Green and there is also a help button next to the ticket machine, visible at the gateline.


It also happened to me at Queens Road Peckham, or Willesden Junction station as well some days ago and I couldn't see a help button.

I wonder if the designs of Underground and Overground stations are different.

I've previously had trouble at the Overground entrance to Walthamstow Central where the barrier wouldn't read my paper travelcard and there were no staff present. No help button either, so I ended up having to use contactless to pay to enter and then faff around getting TfL to refund me.

I've seen a few people go on about how they'd use an "emergency open" button, but in all the stations I've seen the controls are on the ticketed side of the barriers anyway.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've previously had trouble at the Overground entrance to Walthamstow Central where the barrier wouldn't read my paper travelcard and there were no staff present. No help button either, so I ended up having to use contactless to pay to enter and then faff around getting TfL to refund me.

I've seen a few people go on about how they'd use an "emergency open" button, but in all the stations I've seen the controls are on the ticketed side of the barriers anyway.

The time I had an issue I was stuck on the ticketed side. Had to barge through in the end. Alarms sounded loudly but nobody seemed to be there to care, and the emergency button was stuck. Really, really dangerous.

 

[Sonic1234]

I've seen a few people go on about how they'd use an "emergency open" button, but in all the stations I've seen the controls are on the ticketed side of the barriers anyway.

These aren't much use if you are trying to get into a station, they are for allowing people to leave the station in the event of an emergency.

Too often gates are left unattended in the London Zones, issues are rare because almost everyone uses Oyster and Contactless so standards get lax.

 

[miklcct]

almost everyone uses Oyster and Contactless so standards get lax.

Even at National Rail (including London Overground) stations where there is a significant possibility that people are doing through journeys to outside the contactless area?

My issues mentioned above at Willesden Junction was for a journey to Woking returning to Brondesbury, and my issue at Queens Road (Peckham) was for a journey to Brighton and returning to West Hampstead.

 

[avid2424]

To pick up including re post #15

At Chichester the platform that has the exit nearer the shops and bus station and ticket office and taxis etc would be the main exit

From the other platform you can either use the footbridge or lifts to the main exit. Or you can use the entrance and exit directly using the other platform. The gates here can often be left working but unattended

If you need assistance to get the gates opened, then there is a stand alone pillar six feet tall and one foot wide. Actually two these, one near the outside side of the gates re letting you in, and the other near the inside side of the gates re letting you out

The button is halfway up the pillar and there is a small screen to allow you to show your ticket and there is a two way conversation - and today my conversation was with the person looking after the gate-line on the other platform

I was travelling with a paper Southern Advance ticket with Senior Railcard discount. I understand that many Southern ticket gates simply do not recognise this type of ticket

I was in no hurry so I could have used the main entrance although of course my ticket would still not be able to open the gate. So it did not really matter as to which entrance I should use to get gate-line staff to open the gate to let me on to the platform

 

[LarryRailer]

Stoke on Trent has one on exit from platform 2 to the car park,

Yes, I used the “help” button recently, after accidentally exiting on the wrong side of the station. I needed to double back to use the underpass under the tracks, and exit the main entrance instead. Call was answered swiftly, I explained and the gate was opened remotely for me (no need for lengthy explanation, got the impression lots of people make the same mistake I did).

 

[DazCM]

You have to time your call on the remote gateline help points though. I see it at Oxted regularly where someone uses the remote help point on platform 2, their ticket is accepted and the gate opened for them, but other people in the exit queue then go through. Leaving you still the wrong side of the barrier.

Ideally you have to wait until the train has departed and the queue vanishes before making the call.