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Season ticket - Burscough Bridge [BCB] - Salford [SLD]

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alansmithee

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So I am starting a new job and my annual season ticket will be from BCB to SLD - that is straight forward.

However... an annual Season Ticket to Manchester stations is the same price.

Looking at the National Rail T&C I cannot see anything that prevents me buying a season ticket to Manchester and getting off at SLD on a regular basis.

The reason for this is that occasionally I'll pop to manchester at weekends and likely will do it now and again for work.

Any problems with this plan?
 
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gordonthemoron

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since the Burscough Bridge to Manchester (Victoria) services all stop at Salford Crescent, you can use a Burscough Bridge to Manchester Stations season for your job and to pop into Manchester at weekends. So no problem
 

kieron

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You can travel to Salford Crescent with a Manchester season ticket, and you can travel to Manchester with a Salford Crescent one. It's up to you which you have.
 

alansmithee

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You can travel to Salford Crescent with a Manchester season ticket, and you can travel to Manchester with a Salford Crescent one. It's up to you which you have.

Thanks for the answer - why can I travel beyond Salford Crescent ? Do they just group it with the main manchester stations for Season ticket purposes or is it because of some other rule?
 

kieron

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There are some trains (typically Windermere-Manchester Airport ones) which go between Wigan and Manchester without passing through Salford Crescent at all.

The journey planner at nationalrail.co.uk* shows a Burscough Bridge-Salford Crescent ticket as being valid on a through ticket if you use one of those trains.

With any season ticket, you can start and end your journey at any intermediate station on your route, so you can use a different Burscough Bridge-Salford Crescent route, followed by the first section of the Salford Crescent-Burscough Bridge route in this link without ever hving to go to Wigan North Western.

It is easier to find valid itineraries online for a Burscough Bridge-Manchester journey via Salford Crescent, though.

* You may need to delete any nationalrail.co.uk cookies you have in order for this link to open correctly.
 

Merseysider

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I would purchase the ticket from Burscough Bridge to Manchester simply because it's the further point geographically and less likely to cause issues when presented to Northern's undertrained revenue staff.
 

alansmithee

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Having now used this for a couple of weeks (I got a manchester one) - couple of observations:

1) I have yet to encounter a guard who has the equipment to check these - I just wave it in the air - you have to wonder how many people are riding up and down with empty cards and getting off at stations with no barriers

2) I encountered a revenue inspector who also did not seem to have the gear to read it but wanted to see the photo ID card!

3) Northern's delay reclaim site besides being deliberately confusing - wants a photo id when you set up a season ticket. I just took a photo of the card and that worked fine.
 

ainsworth74

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1) I have yet to encounter a guard who has the equipment to check these - I just wave it in the air - you have to wonder how many people are riding up and down with empty cards and getting off at stations with no barriers

Assuming you're using a Northern Smartcard when I spoke to a guard about this he said that initially they didn't have the ability to do it but have all been issued with the right stuff (an app on their works phones) so should be checking them properly. This would have been maybe five or so week ago. But as far as I can tell it's far from quick (you have to get out the works phone, unlock it, get the right app going on the phone, then scan, then wait a few seconds for it to pop up with the info) and couple that with the habit that they'll have all got into of just accepting smart cards when waved in their faces and I can well see why the majority aren't bothering!
 

_toommm_

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I can well see why the majority aren't bothering!

Indeed it was a surprise to have a mobile ticket scanned by a Northern guard on a Leeds to Nottingham train the other week. That was only the second time I've seen someone pull out their work phone on Northern, other than the over enthusiastic Revenue Protection at Piccadilly.
 

tony_mac

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For an extra ~£40 a year, you can get a season to Appley Bridge and a GM traincard - valid for all rail within Greater Manchester and City Zone trams.
 

scrapy

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Guards are issued phones for emergencies, and making work related communications (emails etc). There has never been any agreement for them to be used for revenue purposes.

When Arriva took over the franchise staff were told that cabs would all have USB chargers for guards phones/ticket machines etc on all trains by end 2019. Guess what? Arriva haven't done what they said they'd do and only a handful of older trains have this so far.

When Arriva introduced Star Mobile, scanners for barcode tickets and smartcards were supposed to follow within 6 months. They didn't because of problems with them draining the batteries.

Now Arriva have gone for the cheapest option, an app on a mobile. Unfortunately most guards mobiles struggle to last a full shift as they are now well over 3 years old, and due to Arriva not providing anywhere to charge them on train there has been no union agreement for them to be used. Both union reps and local managers advise guards to keep battery life on their phones for emergencies and contacting control in disruption (of which there is plenty at the moment). This is why smart cards are not routinely checked and tickets are not scanned.
 
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