Northern Station Improvements & New Ticket Machines

[johntea]

Surely these new big screen machines are just asking to be vandalised, it's like leaving an unattended plasma screen TV on the platform.

Personally I find these big screens a bit overpowering when you are stood right up in front of them. It isn't natural for the eye to trace along such a big amount of space at such close range.

Screen technology isn't that expensive these days to be honest, though they should maybe split the screen in two so that one half shows timetables / train information whilst the other offers the ticket purchasing facilities.

 

[pemma]

Hartford is a little out of the way for us - Northwich works well as my wife goes to the gym there. The old TVM was slow and appeared to be steam driven!

Northwich now has a new giant TVM operational.

 

[185143]

Apologies if I start a big debate again-but are the posts that Ardwick and Reddish South are getting TVMs actually serious??

I know I said it a while back-but I was very much taking the p*ss!

 

[pemma]

Yes they have been mentioned in both the Northern franchise agreement and TfGM meeting agendas.

 

[Starmill]

We wouldn't have had a very long conversation about how some people apparently think this is a sensible use of resources if it were merely a joke.

 

[coxxy]

What an utterly ludicrous idea.

Indeed!!! I did hear this a few months but but assumed they'd decided against it due to the ticket office being upstairs.. but seen as they've done the same as Rochdale then I wouldn't be surprised now..

 

[pemma]

More importantly what kind of TVMs will be installed at the stations which have very limited services? If they are going to refurbish the old ones removed from stations which have the new large screen ones and use them then it'd make a lot more sense than installing new large screen ones.

 

[scrapy]

Apologies if I start a big debate again-but are the posts that Ardwick and Reddish South are getting TVMs actually serious??

I know I said it a while back-but I was very much taking the p*ss!

Salwick is getting one and that isn't even a franchise requirement. It might be that Northern asked the TVM provider for a quote for machines at all stations and a quote for machines at all those over 3000 journeys p.a. including all those in metro areas. If the quote were the same or not very different they just went ahead with all.

Whilst these machines might not sell many tickets they may get surprisingly well used for ticket collection. For example someone living in Reddish travelling from Stockport the next day may pick tickets up.

On a slightly separate point when the franchise agreement lists stations it classes as in the metro areas why is Millom randomly included?

 

[pemma]

Whilst these machines might not sell many tickets they may get surprisingly well used for ticket collection. For example someone living in Reddish travelling from Stockport the next day may pick tickets up.

Indeed. TVMs and ticket offices on branch lines print a lot of tickets for people who are travelling to a mainline station by road on another day.

I think it's unfortunate the new TVMs don't allow you to buy from an alternative station. If you had to walk past Reddish South station to get to Reddish North station and there was always a queue for tickets at Reddish North it would make sense to buy your ticket from Reddish South if the feature to buy from Reddish North was available.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Northwich now has a new giant TVM operational.

Good news - I may post a user review soon.... Also waiting to see what is foisted on Goostrey - will it be large and shiny, or small and recycled from the like of Northwich?

 

[pemma]

Good news - I may post a user review soon.... Also waiting to see what is foisted on Goostrey - will it be large and shiny, or small and recycled from the like of Northwich?

I'd like to see the baby CIS displays at bigger stations replaced with proper sized ones, with the baby ones going to village stations.

 

[Puffing Devil]

I'd like to see the baby CIS displays at bigger stations replaced with proper sized ones, with the baby ones going to village stations.

Not much variety for the CIS:
1243 Crewe
1343 Crewe
1443 Crewe

Maybe nice to show delays, though.

 

[pemma]

Not much variety for the CIS:
1243 Crewe
1343 Crewe
1443 Crewe

Maybe nice to show delays, though.

At Knutsford on the Chester platform we've got a single sided 2 line one which is invisible from most of the platform, when from next year they'll be some trains to Greenbank only and some to Chester with different calling patterns.

 

[scrapy]

Good news - I may post a user review soon.... Also waiting to see what is foisted on Goostrey - will it be large and shiny, or small and recycled from the like of Northwich?

New n shiny, old ones being binned off

 

[Bantamzen]

In all the debating over Ardwick, I forget to mention that the TVM was live last Thursday at Baildon although the new shelter is still seemingly awaiting some final concrete pouring to bring the floor to platform level following it's installation.

 

[Karl]

Once these new machines are active, how will cash-only customers be able to get a ticket? Will there be guards to still sell on the train?

 

[Puffing Devil]

Once these new machines are active, how will cash-only customers be able to get a ticket? Will there be guards to still sell on the train?

There will be many legal challenges if they don't sell tickets to cash customers.

 

[BurtonM]

Just noticed the CIS displays at Ashton under Lyne have been replaced with ones half as big as the old ones with white LEDs instead of the normal orange.
Great to see money being spent in all the right places as ever...

 

[thealexweb]

Once these new machines are active, how will cash-only customers be able to get a ticket? Will there be guards to still sell on the train?

Yes conductors / destination staff will still sell passengers with cash tickets. Otherwise that's a large chunk of people that won't be buying tickets anymore.

 

[lejog]

Yes conductors / destination staff will still sell passengers with cash tickets. Otherwise that's a large chunk of people that won't be buying tickets anymore.

There is a thread on Northern's new penalty fare scheme on the Fares forum. That thread contains a photo of a new notice at Leeds saying that you will have to collect a "Promise to Pay" from a card only TVM if you wish to pay cash, else you will be liable for a Penalty Fare. I suggest the Fares Forum is a better place to discuss this.

 

[BurtonM]

I've noticed recently that Northern guards seem to just ask if you need a ticket now as opposed to inspecting.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've noticed recently that Northern guards seem to just ask if you need a ticket now as opposed to inspecting.

Some always used to do that.

 

[BurtonM]

Yes, but it was the exception rather than the rule. Now, the inverse seem to be true.

 

[Merseysider]

Adlington's TVM out of order as I passed this morning, and Congleton's dropped out of order as soon as someone tried to collect pre-purchased tickets, before working again a few minutes later

Will the new machines at Denton and Reddish South also require the installation of cover, lighting and CCTV, to protect the machine?

 

[BurtonM]

I was wondering the same thing. As I said elsewhere it's going to take a laughably short amount of time for some of these machines to get vandalised.

 

[pemma]

Some always used to do that.

Indeed. There's a couple of Piccadilly ones who have for years always walked through the train with their machine but don't inspect tickets, just sell tickets to those who request one. It's also quite common for any guard to do that between the penultimate station and the final station, if they know there are barriers (manual or automated) at the destination.

 

[pemma]

Based on my experience of the new TVMs there's a 25% chance it'll either be out-of-order or take itself out-of-order when you insert a payment card. Very poor!

 

[james2trains]

Ticket machines are being installed along the Penistone Line in West Yorkshire - pictured is the one in Shepley. Not working yet though!

 

[pemma]

Ticket machines are being installed along the Penistone Line in West Yorkshire - pictured is the one in Shepley. Not working yet though!

Or was working but has gone out-of-service. Seeing a red light and a Not in Service message is an all too common occurrence.

 

[YorkshireLad]

New ticket machines installed at Worksop