Merseyrail should be taken off the National Rail system

[yorksrob]

It's certainly interesting that nobody seems to bat an eyelid about not being able to buy a through ticket to South Shields.

Funnily enough, I have been frustrated about not being able to buy a through ticket to Bury (Lancs) in the past. The daysaver alleviates this, but you can only get that from within the boundary.

That's because people are used to it not being possible; Personally, I think it would be an improvement if it was possible to buy through tickets to/from any Tyne and Wear Metro station.

We should be aiming to make public transport more integrated, not less.

Also you don't tend to get the same sorts of "buffers halfway along the line" situations as you get with Merseyrail. It would presumably be quite irritating for someone in Burscough, for example, to have to undertake two transactions just to get to the centre of Liverpool.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Funnily enough, I have been frustrated about not being able to buy a through ticket to Bury (Lancs) in the past. The daysaver alleviates this, but you can only get that from within the boundary

Bury (GM), you mean?.

 

[yorksrob]

Bury (GM), you mean?.

You know exactly what I mean

 

[AlastairFraser]

You know exactly what I mean

I'm waiting until we see Skipton to Colne reopened, then we could see Earby (Lancs)....

 

[Chester1]

I mean, fundamentally it's all about an organisation based in a city where the Tories achieved 1.7% of the vote in the last local elections (and no the decimal point is not in the wrong place) and wanting to have absolutely nothing to do with Westminster.

The government and its hangers-on are regarded, at best, as incompetent and dysfunctional but most people in the city would consider that I am being extremely generous here.

1.7% was in the city borough, not Merseyside. Wirral and Sefton are Labour leaning rather than hating Tories as a substitute religion. Earlier in this government both had a Tory MP each.

Merseytravel should be given a choice between accepting E-tickets or being kicked off the NR system and being a T&W or Metrolink. Its not acceptable in 2024 to not accept E-tickets.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm waiting until we see Skipton to Colne reopened, then we could see Earby (Lancs)....

I'm sure Earbians would appreciate the train service (if not necessarily the suffix)

 

[Bletchleyite]

Merseytravel should be given a choice between accepting E-tickets or being kicked off the NR system and being a T&W or Metrolink. Its not acceptable in 2024 to not accept E-tickets.

I would agree with this. The reason to kick them off would be punishment - that is, if you're not going to accept national ticketing properly, then we're not going to let you profit from selling it, either.

 

[yorksrob]

I would agree with this. The reason to kick them off would be punishment - that is, if you're not going to accept national ticketing properly, then we're not going to let you profit from selling it, either.

That's still not a good outcome for passengers though. Better just to ensure the licensing agreements are robust enough and enforce them.

 

[AlastairFraser]

That's still not a good outcome for passengers though. Better just to ensure the licensing agreements are robust enough and enforce them.

Maybe even provide additional funding ringfenced for purchasing and installing e ticket readers?

 

[TheSel]

1.7% was in the city borough, not Merseyside. Wirral and Sefton are Labour leaning rather than hating Tories as a substitute religion. Earlier in this government both had a Tory MP each.

Point of order. The borough of Sefton (itself within the county of Merseyside) includes Southport, which has never returned a Labour MP. It is generally regarded as a Conservative / Lib Dem marginal. Most recently:

1987 - 1992 Lib Dem
1992 - 1997 Conservative
1997 - 2017 Lib Dem
2017 to date Conservative

 

[yorksrob]

Maybe even provide additional funding ringfenced for purchasing and installing e ticket readers?

Well indeed, it shouldn't be beyond the ken of man to introduce them.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Well indeed, it shouldn't be beyond the ken of man to introduce them.

It isn't, but you could incentivise it.

 

[zwk500]

Maybe even provide additional funding ringfenced for purchasing and installing e ticket readers?

A good idea, how much would it cost to upgrade the Merseyrail network? Not sure where the funding would come from though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A good idea, how much would it cost to upgrade the Merseyrail network? Not sure where the funding would come from though.

Not a lot as most stations are open stations and presumably RPIs already have work phones.

 

[AlastairFraser]

A good idea, how much would it cost to upgrade the Merseyrail network? Not sure where the funding would come from though.

I'm not sure how much it would cost, as I can't find any relevant sources. Funding could come as part of a national improvement of ticketing a la Project Oval perhaps?