Paytrain

[142094]

Cheers for that. I notice with interest that the service between Leeds and Normanton appears to have deteriorated with fewer trains, slower times and an earlier last train back

Send a letter in to Metro and complain! Was there on Friday, could have had a word with the Rail Team for you as well!

 

[yorksrob]

Send a letter in to Metro and complain! Was there on Friday, could have had a word with the Rail Team for you as well!

Ha ha, I've already tried that !

To be honest, I'd settle for having a last train back an hour later (than the current one which is 10:37) !

 

[142094]

Keep on trying - otherwise the subsidies will go to other places where people complain more (not mentioning anywhere specific, although there is a famous song associated with not having a hat and a topographical feature).

 

[yorksrob]

Keep on trying - otherwise the subsidies will go to other places where people complain more (not mentioning anywhere specific, although there is a famous song associated with not having a hat and a topographical feature).

True indeed - it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease as they say !

 

[142094]

True indeed - it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease as they say !

You'd need a whole load of grease for anything going Nortmanton/Castleford way. At least the 333s are nice for the bits north of Leeds...

 

[yorksrob]

You'd need a whole load of grease for anything going Nortmanton/Castleford way. north of Leeds...

We'd need the Exxon Valdez to capsize again

 

[blacknight]

Concept of unmanned stations equates to paytrains seems to have been long lost on most modern TOC's, now as long as a TVM as been installed at unmanned station passenger is now expected to purchase ticket from TVM before boarding.
EMT are great fan of TVM method as daleks have been installed Matlock station.
Image below of top secret plan to replace all station staff with machines introduction only being delayed whilst ideas are sort to overcome little problem of the station footbridge Tickets All Tickets Now

 

[142094]

It is also good to see that some stations which were formerly manned, then unmanned, now have staff selling tickets again. In some cases it has been shown that putting staff there helps to increase usage of the station.

 

[robbob700]

I'm presuming that if a ticket office was available you could use it, although you had no obligation to do so?

I'm sure I remember signs at Ipswich back in the 1970s saying that tickets for stations on the East Anglian Paytrain lines had to be bought on the train and not from the ticket office. Presumably the ticket office did not stock tickets to those destinations. Even on InterCity trains between Ipswich and Stowmarket, the guard came past to sell local tickets between Ipswich and Stowmarket. I don't believe there were any through fares at the time between Suffolk branch line stations and the main line.

 

[Midlandman]

In the Newcastle area in the 1970s, it was just the same. You could buy a ticket for, say, Dumfries at the Travel Centre at Newcastle, but not one for Carlisle, because that was a Paytrain service and ALL tickets had to be bought on the train. The daftest example was Whitby, where the booking office was still open but couldn't sell you a ticket to any of the stations directly served from there.

 

[Smethwickian]

.... including a morning Inter-City service from Gloucester - Leeds which I believe stopped at Barnt Green, Northfield, King's Norton and Bournville....

My memory may be playing tricks, timescale-wise, but I'm sure I remember holding the vain hope at one time of an HST being introduced onto that long-distance train stopping at those stations so that I could use a good old WMPTE Travelcard on it one day. But then of course the Cross City line was overhauled and that train stopped stopping. It was another few years before an HST made its appearance on a BHM to Manchester train which enabled what was then the novelty of a 125 trip between BHM and Wolverhampton with a Travelcard.

 

[blacknight]

It is also good to see that some stations which were formerly manned, then unmanned, now have staff selling tickets again. In some cases it has been shown that putting staff there helps to increase usage of the station.

Restaffing of ticket office allows TOC's to enforce only Anytime tickets sold on board T&C as ticket office is open, still any railway staff is better than no staff & no staff at all is better than subcontracted security.
From public point of view railway staff out on platforms assisting passengers & detering anti social yobs.
On a point of safety on modern genoration of dmu/emu stock how can conductor see train safely off the platform with automatic doors & no drop down window?