brad465
Established Member
I was travelling from Paddock Wood to Maidstone West on the 17:04 departure from PDW. Sitting towards the back of the 1st coach, approaching and at East Farleigh station, there was trouble with a passenger, at the front of the 2nd coach, and one of two on-board staff (the other was at the very front by this point not doing much, having done a full train ticket check). The gangway doors were stuck open so me and some other passengers could hear what was going on:
I didn't catch the buildup, but the member of staff had decided this passenger needed to get off the train. He was clearly making him aware that the train would not leave till he did, the police could be called, he was on camera and the staff member was allowed by law to use minor force to get him off if needed. After 5 minutes at the station he was removed without police assistance and the train ran on with this level of delay.
My first thought is he was a fare dodger, and as I recall that passenger waiting at Paddock Wood station, he should have had a ticket. However as most of the other Medway Valley line stations permit you to buy on board the train, in theory I think he could have got away with claiming to have boarded more recently than when he did, as the inspection did not reach this part of the train till Yalding at least. So my guess is he either refused to buy a ticket, the policy of fares on that branch line has changed, or he was a causing a non-fare related incident. There was no obvious physical assault from the passenger or anyone else.
Does anyone know, based on this description, what he could have done wrong and if the fare's policy may have changed?
On an unrelated note as extra trivia, because East Farleigh station sits across a level crossing (staggered platforms each side), the signal block arrangement meant the traffic had to wait the extra 5 minutes, because the train had already passed the signal to enter the block with the crossing in, exacerbated by the narrow bridge over the river, right next to the crossing.
I didn't catch the buildup, but the member of staff had decided this passenger needed to get off the train. He was clearly making him aware that the train would not leave till he did, the police could be called, he was on camera and the staff member was allowed by law to use minor force to get him off if needed. After 5 minutes at the station he was removed without police assistance and the train ran on with this level of delay.
My first thought is he was a fare dodger, and as I recall that passenger waiting at Paddock Wood station, he should have had a ticket. However as most of the other Medway Valley line stations permit you to buy on board the train, in theory I think he could have got away with claiming to have boarded more recently than when he did, as the inspection did not reach this part of the train till Yalding at least. So my guess is he either refused to buy a ticket, the policy of fares on that branch line has changed, or he was a causing a non-fare related incident. There was no obvious physical assault from the passenger or anyone else.
Does anyone know, based on this description, what he could have done wrong and if the fare's policy may have changed?
On an unrelated note as extra trivia, because East Farleigh station sits across a level crossing (staggered platforms each side), the signal block arrangement meant the traffic had to wait the extra 5 minutes, because the train had already passed the signal to enter the block with the crossing in, exacerbated by the narrow bridge over the river, right next to the crossing.
