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London Euston: arrivals ticket checking

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calc7

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I would say 80% of the InterCity journeys I make from London Euston have Virgin Trains staff checking tickets at the boarding gate. This means that with many services no further ticket check is made, except sometimes to make sure the passengers in First Class hold bona fide travel documents.

Several people have mentioned on this forum that it is not uncommon to board at stations 150+ miles from London (Crewe, Warrington, Stoke, Stafford, ...), and have no ticket check occur. At Euston, one can walk up the ramp and away. Only once or twice in my whole history of using the station has there been a ticket check on arrivals gates.

Is there any appetite to extend arrivals checks - is it financially and logistically viable? Should on-board staff be checking tickets more often?
 
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VTPreston_Tez

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Every Network Rail station apart from Manchester Piccadilly has this problem. Birmingham New Street in particular is a station where there is a way around the ticket gates, if it's still there that is. I don't remember. I've never used Leeds City but it was virtually empty last time I passed through it apart from the Railfest bunch getting on (or the Garforth larkie where there were a few)
So maybe it is Network Rail, or just a problem with the Northerners coming down to visit London - maybe Euston staff are scared? There's just too many possibilities it seems.
 

Failed Unit

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To me the best check is one on the train. Look at East Coast since the barriers have gone up, making it easy to get from London - York for the price of a ticket to Finsbury Park. I am not sure if the tickets are checked properly on the train what the point is of barriers / terminal checks. I admit that Warrington - Wigan is easy to evade,
 

The 375 King

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I would say 80% of the InterCity journeys I make from London Euston have Virgin Trains staff checking tickets at the boarding gate. This means that with many services no further ticket check is made, except sometimes to make sure the passengers in First Class hold bona fide travel documents.

Several people have mentioned on this forum that it is not uncommon to board at stations 150+ miles from London (Crewe, Warrington, Stoke, Stafford, ...), and have no ticket check occur. At Euston, one can walk up the ramp and away. Only once or twice in my whole history of using the station has there been a ticket check on arrivals gates.

Is there any appetite to extend arrivals checks - is it financially and logistically viable? Should on-board staff be checking tickets more often?



Should ticket pricing be simplified and reduced so as to make the general population less likely to fiddle the system, ultimately, people have to travel so if they perceive pricing of tickets to be unfair they may stop working as it would not be a viable proposition, we currently have among the highest ticket prices in europe, yet many on this forum express suprise and indignation that fares may, by some, be avoided. Therefore, on balance let the Euston situation remain unchanged.
 

Poggs

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Should ticket pricing be simplified and reduced so as to make the general population less likely to fiddle the system, ultimately, people have to travel so if they perceive pricing of tickets to be unfair they may stop working as it would not be a viable proposition, we currently have among the highest ticket prices in europe, yet many on this forum express suprise and indignation that fares may, by some, be avoided. Therefore, on balance let the Euston situation remain unchanged.

Some people will always revert to evading payment no matter how cheap a ticket is.
 

exile

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Some people will always revert to evading payment no matter how cheap a ticket is.

True, but the system as it is now can mean you don't pay for a ticket even if you want to.
 

Mutant Lemming

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On board ticket checking is the only sure method of revenue protection, though it is impractical on commuter lines and overcrowded trains.
Football fans travelling to St.Andrews from afar would avoid the barriers at New Street (when they used to be more secure) by taking a local train to Adderley Park
 

MidnightFlyer

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Every Network Rail station apart from Manchester Piccadilly has this problem. Birmingham New Street in particular is a station where there is a way around the ticket gates, if it's still there that is. I don't remember. I've never used Leeds City but it was virtually empty last time I passed through it apart from the Railfest bunch getting on (or the Garforth larkie where there were a few)
So maybe it is Network Rail, or just a problem with the Northerners coming down to visit London - maybe Euston staff are scared? There's just too many possibilities it seems.

I'm sorry, I totally disagree. As far as I know, barriers cover every exit at Charing Cross, Cannon St, Fenchurch St, Leeds, St Pancras and Liverpool St for example. The alternative way out at New St still exists as far as I know, though it is sometimes guarded; alternatively the gateline staff never properly check your ticket anyway. At Manchester Piccadilly it is incredibly easy to avoid checks from p1-9 (10-12 are rarely checked); I would actually say the easiest of any NR station, by walking back over the footbridge and down the travelator or another platform. Alternatively, just flash your bank card at the G4S, they are mostly clueless and I once got through showing my college ID.

Scared? :lol: Surely if they were cared they wouldn't check them on the way back North! The last five times I've been to Euston I've had my tickets checked beforehand.
 

David10

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I recall reading somwhere, possibly in the West Coast bid document, that it is planned to barrier stations on the WCML.
 

sonic2009

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I don't believe all exits are barried at Charing Cross, I've exited at the far ends of the station closest to the bridge in the peaks am a few years ago.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
 

Flying Snail

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Should ticket pricing be simplified and reduced so as to make the general population less likely to fiddle the system, ultimately, people have to travel so if they perceive pricing of tickets to be unfair they may stop working as it would not be a viable proposition, we currently have among the highest ticket prices in europe, yet many on this forum express suprise and indignation that fares may, by some, be avoided. Therefore, on balance let the Euston situation remain unchanged.

So you think it is okay that the majority who are honest have to stand even higher fares to subsidise scumbags who think tht if they don't agree with the price they can just not pay?

Truth is the majority of fare evaders will do it no matter how much the tickets cost so the whole fares are too high whinge is irrelevant to the topic.


As to the OP it is very rare to see a check on arrival at Euston except for the commuter platforms. Considering the stopping pattern of Virgin services these days there is little excuse for not conducting a full on-board check between the last pick-up stop and Euston anyway.
 

telstarbox

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My theory on the lack of ticket checks on VT is that due to the long-distance nature of their routes, the price of anytime singles sold on board is so high that fare evasion is low - as potential evaders don't feel the risk is worth it. If from past experience of checks, only 1 or 2 passengers have invalid tickets on a train carrying 300, VT may feel a full ticket check wouldn't yield much extra revenue.

Conversely, a shorter journey such as Stockport - Piccadilly is less risky in terms of the evasion 'saving' relative to the chance of a ticket check.
 

All Line Rover

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I wouldn't say that ticket checking is rare between Runcorn/Warrington/Crewe/Stoke and London. To the contrary, my ticket is checked over 80% of the time! It seems to be on quiet Off-Peak services during the middle of the day where the Train Manager can't be bothered to check tickets.

Ticket checking is rare between Crewe/Stoke and Manchester, where my ticket is checked less than 50% of the time. But since the "VT Only" tickets are so cheap on these routes I don't understand why anyone would run the risk of travelling without a valid ticket!

Although fare evasion would appear to be rife between Manchester and Stockport, in practice there are frequent arrivals checks on the staircases at Stockport (which are unavoidable, unlike at Manchester Piccadilly), so in practice I suspect that fare evasion is much lower.

The one route where fare evasion is definitely very high is London Euston to Milton Keynes, on services where there is no pre-boarding check at London Euston. I've seen numerous people sit in Coach A (the one at the front, far end of the train) clearly hoping to get off as soon as possible, and on the odd occasion that the Train Manager does reach that coach, surprise surprise, they don't have a ticket and are sold an SDS! :roll: But at just £18.50, it isn't much of a "penalty."

However, from what I've been told Virgin are starting to crack down on fare evasion. For example, a recent full-and-standing 11-car Pendolino from London Euston had 2 Train Mangers on-board AND an RPI - they had the whole train checked well before Milton Keynes! :lol: The Train Manager who checked my ticket said that this is starting to become a frequent occurrence. (But it is still true that Virgin focus on the most profitable route - i.e. to/from London Euston).
 

General Zod

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Made a journey from London to Glasgow a few weeks back and there were checks prior to boarding at Euston but none onboard. I assume they were lax due to the first stop being Warrington Bank Quay. Checks after Preston though. On the return journey my train started at Preston and tickets were not checked en route to London or on arrival. It was the 1958 and reasonably full but it didn't get into Euston until after 11pm ( delays on the way) so I guess inspectors at Euston may have gone home.
 

D6975

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I recently returned from London to Bristol on an evening. There was no check on the train, and on arrival at TM the barriers were open. The last time I did the journey before that was a couple of months ago and the same thing happened, no revenue protection at all. Conversely, on the way up there were barriers operational at TM and on train check too.

The furthest I've travelled without needing to show my ticket was on a trip to Edinburgh via Padd and KGX from Bristol. First check was on the train on leaving Berwick on Tweed.
 

chris89

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The times i have been from Euston tickets were checked before/ after watford junction. For other long distance journies for me. Between Wolverhampton and Crewe ( normally after going through Stafford) and between Haymarket and Carlise (normally around Carstairs junctions)

Longest journey without a ticket check was Edinburgh - Wolverhampton.

Chris
 
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