New ticket gates in North of England

[Solent&Wessex]

I am struggling at the moment to work out how they're even going to logistically do Keighley!

The ticket office as it is closes quite early I think there for a start unless they're planning to extend hours (the only TVMs at the station are also in there I believe so once it's closed you have to buy on board basically!)

I too am struggling to think how you could logistically do it and physically do it.

The whole station is dropping to bits and is in appalling condition. The roof leaks in the booking hall, above the entrances and ramps, and in the pub. I don't think anything wooden on the station is actually solid. But nobody will accept responsibility for it, and everybody says they can't afford to do anything with it for at least another 3 years or more, by which time it would probably have fallen down.

So where you put any gates I do not know.

 

[urbophile]

I too am struggling to think how you could logistically do it and physically do it.

The whole station is dropping to bits and is in appalling condition. The roof leaks in the booking hall, above the entrances and ramps, and in the pub. I don't think anything wooden on the station is actually solid. But nobody will accept responsibility for it, and everybody says they can't afford to do anything with it for at least another 3 years or more, by which time it would probably have fallen down.

So where you put any gates I do not know.

That's a shame. Keighley is a wonderful station: just what a medium sized urban station should be like. I hope it is a listed building and that they do some sensitive repairs soon.

 

[clagmonster]

I too am struggling to think how you could logistically do it and physically do it.

The whole station is dropping to bits and is in appalling condition. The roof leaks in the booking hall, above the entrances and ramps, and in the pub. I don't think anything wooden on the station is actually solid. But nobody will accept responsibility for it, and everybody says they can't afford to do anything with it for at least another 3 years or more, by which time it would probably have fallen down.

So where you put any gates I do not know.

Assuming the woodwork were to be repaired, what would the legalities be of putting them on the ramp? You'd end up with a narrow gateline, probably a gate or two each way plus wide access gate, but I struggle to see where else it could be done. Up top would would be a challenge, unless they do something akin to Finsbury Park at the bottom of each ramp.

 

[johntea]

Apparently according to a perhaps unreliable source of The Telegraph And Argus work has 'started' on getting barriers installed at Bradford Forster Square

 

[Andyh82]

Apparently according to a perhaps unreliable source of The Telegraph And Argus work has 'started' on getting barriers installed at Bradford Forster Square

They have indeed started installing them today

 

[bradford758]

Apparently according to a perhaps unreliable source of The Telegraph And Argus work has 'started' on getting barriers installed at Bradford Forster Square

They started putting in the barriers last week, wiring-up started today.

Sent from my 4009X using Tapatalk

 

[johntea]

Barriers going in at Harrogate by the looks

 

[Geeves]

The barriers at Bradford Forster Square are now up and running. The ones at Leeds are being upgraded to accept smart cards if they have not been already.

The barriers around Manchester can now also accept smart cards since the middle of last week.

 

[james2trains]

The barriers at Bradford Forster Square are now up and running. The ones at Leeds are being upgraded to accept smart cards if they have not been already.

The barriers around Manchester can now also accept smart cards since the middle of last week.

The ones at Leeds already accept Smartcards, though they're currently being upgraded for barcode tickets.

Is it just Halifax left now?

 

[johntea]

What a joke the barriers are at Harrogate! Don't think any of my perfectly valid tickets have worked yet without coming up 'seek assistance', yeah good luck trying to get the 8 or so contractor goons to assist you, they just insist you're doing something wrong several times until begrudgingly opening the barrier for you

I'm not the only one either, loads of people having problems by the looks of things. Complaint submitted to Northern not that they'll pay a single bit of attention...

 

[skyhigh]

What a joke the barriers are at Harrogate! Don't think any of my perfectly valid tickets have worked yet without coming up 'seek assistance', yeah good luck trying to get the 8 or so contractor goons to assist you, they just insist you're doing something wrong several times until begrudgingly opening the barrier for you

I'm not the only one either, loads of people having problems by the looks of things. Complaint submitted to Northern not that they'll pay a single bit of attention...

I went through on Saturday for the first time and my railcard-discounted ticket worked. How long have they been in operation for?

 

[Ianigsy]

I know feasibility studies have been carried out at a number of locations including Bingley, Skipton, Guiseley, Barnsley, Meadowhall and Rotherham Ctl.

Although I can see the apparent logic behind Guiseley, as things stand there's nowhere under cover that the barrier could be set out so that it wasn't open to all the elements. The ticket machine on the Leeds & Bradford platform is pretty much on the platform and it would be difficult to situate a gateline so as to allow people to use it (and also cross to the ticket office on the Ilkley bound platform should they wish to use that instead or make a more complex enquiry) without creating more congestion on the platform at peak times.

 

[xotGD]

Work underway to install barriers at Skipton.

I don't know if they will lock the door from the ticket office to the platform, as this bypasses the barriers.

 

[theblackwatch]

What a joke the barriers are at Harrogate! Don't think any of my perfectly valid tickets have worked yet without coming up 'seek assistance', yeah good luck trying to get the 8 or so contractor goons to assist you, they just insist you're doing something wrong several times until begrudgingly opening the barrier for you

I'm not the only one either, loads of people having problems by the looks of things. Complaint submitted to Northern not that they'll pay a single bit of attention...

I've contacted Northern about them, as the barriers refuse to work tickets to Starbeck. On a journey at Easter, I stopped off at Harrogate (having caught the HST from Leeds, which requires a 40 minute wait for the Starbeck train) - barrier refused me exit and I had to be let out, then when I tried to get back in, the member of staff was unsure and called another over (there were 4 there!) who said I needed to use the other half of the ticket! I really do wonder about their knowledge of tickets...

 

[mrbluelips]

I bought a weekly season ticket today onboard the train. The GM traincard.

Not only has it gone from being credit card sized to now being as long as an A4 piece of paper (which I dare say will not last a week without being ripped), but the QR code printed on it (or whatever type of code it is) isn't even recognised by the barriers at Piccadilly.

WTF would they a) introduce something so much bigger than the current ticket type, and b) not programme the ticket barriers to accept them in advance of launching them.

It can't be the ticket type that isn't recognised because the credit card sized tickets you can buy from station offices are accepted.

It beggars belief, it really does. It shows a complete lack of joined up thinking.
Quite annoying.

 

[yorkie]

...It shows a complete lack of joined up thinking...

This is in line with industry standards, and consistent with DfT expectations and aspirations.

I've contacted Northern about them, as the barriers refuse to work tickets to Starbeck. On a journey at Easter, I stopped off at Harrogate (having caught the HST from Leeds, which requires a 40 minute wait for the Starbeck train) - barrier refused me exit and I had to be let out, then when I tried to get back in, the member of staff was unsure and called another over (there were 4 there!) who said I needed to use the other half of the ticket! I really do wonder about their knowledge of tickets...

This is typical and normal. Gatelines often reject valid tickets, and it's not particularly uncommon for them to accept invalid tickets. And the only gateline staff I've ever found to be knowledgeable about tickets have very rapidly gone on to other jobs. However the box-ticking exercise has been done, so the DfT are very happy with how things are at 'arrogate.

Next time we have a Harrogate forum meal, I'll have to test them with something like a York to Hormbeam Park ticket.

 

[xotGD]

Skipton ticket barriers now in operation.

For some reason my ticket was returned to me last night despite it being a ticket to Skipton.

At least the barrier let me out!

 

[Starmill]

When they're newly installed, gates will usually return all tickets. For a time, they may also be set to accept all tickets.

 

[WatcherZero]

Yeah they generally do a calibration phase where they accept all tickets but record them then they are programmed to accept the valid ones they encountered and start rejecting tickets however they could reject valid ones they hadn't been programmed to accept, usually because few or none were encountered during the calibration phase so they will have to receive a further update to recognise them as valid.

 

[bradford758]

Work underway to install barriers at Skipton.

I don't know if they will lock the door from the ticket office to the platform, as this bypasses the barriers.

Never noticed there was a door there! Yes, now locked oou and barricaded off LOL

 

[johntea]

Now you mention it most of my tickets probably originate or terminate from Starbeck. I have a real concern how Northern suddenly seem to be chucking ticket gates out all over the place without seemingly doing too much testing on if they'll work with perfectly valid tickets and then even worse leaving them in the capable hands of some agency staff to deal with all the problems!

 

[WatcherZero]

**** Northern are selling new format tickets at Wallgate which use QR Codes, its alright there as the ticket barriers have optical readers but at Victoria the ticket gates only a little older don't have optical readers.

 

[Bungle965]

**** Northern are selling new format tickets at Wallgate which use QR Codes, its alright there as the ticket barriers have optical readers but at Victoria the ticket gates only a little older don't have optical readers.

Victoria still cannot handle anything other than normal paper tickets, which I find poor considering Leeds has done for quite a few months now.
Sam

 

[childwallblues]

Ticket barriers are due to be installed at St Helens Central.

 

[Merseysider]

Victoria still cannot handle anything other than normal paper tickets, which I find poor considering Leeds has done for quite a few months now.
Sam

Yes, quite short-sighted, installing Victoria's barriers without 'modern' features.

 

[Trackman]

Yes, quite short-sighted, installing Victoria's barriers without 'modern' features.

What about Northerna e-tickets that have to been scanned?
I suppose you have to queue up.
Do they scan them to update the system?

 

[johntea]

Purchased a mTicket on the Northern app for a journey involving a change at Leeds, it generates a barcode to let you out of the barriers no issues there...

...however trying to get back in 50 minutes later for my connection using the same barcode 'reject passback'!

 

[xotGD]

Twice in the past week the barriers at the Leeds southern entrance have rejected my valid return portion of an off-peak ticket first thing in the morning due to the alleged time restrictions on the ticket. Clearly they can't differentiate between the outbound and return portions of such tickets.

 

[DJH1971]

Ticket barriers are due to be installed at St Helens Central.

They are already installed

 

[Geeves]

Supposedly in use from tomorrow.