Southern Railway Ticket Checks

[SussexSpotter]

Anyone else in the Southern region noticed the lack of ticket checks Southern are making these days, in particular on the 313's? I've also noticed a considerable absense of staff as well. There is definitely need for improvement!

Under the proposals by the government to close ticket offices, if regular ticket checks arn't made on Southern services people are going to take advantage of the system, especcially on local journey's between stations with no ticket barriers. I've heard that fare evasion is an issue in Sussex but Southern don't seem to care about it......is the loss of revenue not an issue to them on some lines?

 

[ushawk]

Used 4 Southern journeys today - not a single check on any of them - and 2 of those were on the London to Eastbourne route. Reguarly happen on Coastway East for me.

Could possibly be because the majority of stations have barriers, although that doesnt stop people having wrong tickets etc.

 

[SussexSpotter]

Used 4 Southern journeys today - not a single check on any of them - and 2 of those were on the London to Eastbourne route. Reguarly happen on Coastway East for me.

Could possibly be because the majority of stations have barriers, although that doesnt stop people having wrong tickets etc.

I'm not exactly sure what the reason is, my local station is Eastbourne and that has ticket barriers but a majority of the East Coastway stations don't, only the main stations e.g. Lewes, Hastings etc.

 

[ushawk]

I'm not exactly sure what the reason is, my local station is Eastbourne and that has ticket barriers but a majority of the East Coastway stations don't, only the main stations e.g. Lewes, Hastings etc.

Why ive found they are generally only done on the Ore - Brighton stoppers, always when i use them anyway - for the reasons said above.

 

[Lrd]

On the 313s, fairly sure the guard has to stay in the rear cab to be able to do the doors as there aren't any panels in the saloons. 377s are different though.

 

[AntoniC]

I have had my tickets checked regularly when I visit my brother in St Leonards Warrior Sq

 

[ert47]

Had my tickets randomly checked on the train from London Bridge towards Horsham yesterday, that hasnt happened in a while

 

[paul1609]

On the 313s, fairly sure the guard has to stay in the rear cab to be able to do the doors as there aren't any panels in the saloons. 377s are different though.

This isn't so on Southern Class 313s, 1 door on each side has guards door controls in the centre car. Its company policy that the guard should be in the passenger area.
i don't often use 313s on the East Coastway but ticket checks are still quite good on the 171s and on all services on the West Coastway. Checks tend to be more frequent am in my experience.

 

[trentside]

I don't use Southern regularly, but did a Daysave earlier in the year. My ticket was not checked on the Brighton mainline services, but was on the Seaford branch, then between Horsham and Bognor, between Portsmouth Harbour and Barnham (by one of the rudest guards I've ever encountered) and between Littlehampton and Hove. Of the services I took, it seems to be about a 50/50 split.

 

[SussexSpotter]

This isn't so on Southern Class 313s, 1 door on each side has guards door controls in the centre car. Its company policy that the guard should be in the passenger area.
i don't often use 313s on the East Coastway but ticket checks are still quite good on the 171s and on all services on the West Coastway. Checks tend to be more frequent am in my experience.

Yes I should mention the ticket checks on the 171's is fairly good, but from what I have observed the lack of ticket checks on the 313's and London services, as well as some of the other coastway services opperated by 377's is of concern.
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Had my tickets randomly checked on the train from London Bridge towards Horsham yesterday, that hasnt happened in a while

I havn't used that service, but I understand it is a slow service that calls at the Brighton Mainline stations without ticket barriers, notably Salfords, Earlswood, Mestham and Coulsdon South. As well as the stations along the Arun Valley route between Horsham and Crawley.....Littlehaven, (occassionally Faygate) and Ifield.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Last time I was down in Brighton I had a run out to Bishopstone to photograph the Art Deco LUL-esque station building there, now sadly fully disused. It was midday or so on a Saturday, and pleasantly a 377 both ways. My outward train was almost empty (it was strengthened for the Brighton & Hove Albion match at Falmer, but almost everyone used just the back set for some reason). Nonetheless, my ticket was checked, as it was on the way back on a wedged service, emptying at Falmer.

I personally think Southern have done a good job with the 313 refurbishments, they didn't use to be nice sets, but Southern's refurb is actually very nice and they deserve credit for it, they could have equally just reliveried the trains and stuck up Southern posters, but they have been to a lot of effort to actually make the best of them. They can only try with what the DfT gives them.
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I should add my ticket to get to Brighton was for FCC only (from London). I used 4 trains in total on that ticket: LBG-BTN, BTN-GTW, GTW-ECR and ECR-LBG. I didn't have my ticket checked once. I think that just confirms how abysmal FCC's revenue protection is at times, it's woeful. Hundreds of pounds potentially walked of those trains unclaimed that day, sad really.

 

[JonathanH]

Yes I should mention the ticket checks on the 171's is fairly good, but from what I have observed the lack of ticket checks on the 313's and London services, as well as some of the other coastway services opperated by 377's is of concern.
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I havn't used that service, but I understand it is a slow service that calls at the Brighton Mainline stations without ticket barriers, notably Salfords, Earlswood, Mestham and Coulsdon South. As well as the stations along the Arun Valley route between Horsham and Crawley.....Littlehaven, (occassionally Faygate) and Ifield.

While Earlswood, Salfords, Ifield, Faygate and Littlehaven don't have barriers all of the other stations between London Bridge and Horsham via Redhill do now. Even most of the significant Coastway stations do too. I was surprised to see them at Angmering the other day.

Southern conductors are much more visible than they are on other routes as they tend not to retreat to rear cabs.

 

[ushawk]

While Earlswood, Salfords, Ifield, Faygate and Littlehaven don't have barriers all of the other stations between London Bridge and Horsham via Redhill do now. Even most of the significant Coastway stations do too. I was surprised to see them at Angmering the other day.

Southern conductors are much more visible than they are on other routes as they tend not to retreat to rear cabs.

True this - was on a Gatwick to London Bridge service which started from Horsham yesterday and the guard remained in a carriage next to the door even though the 4-car 377 was rammed - no ticket check though, not even before it reached Redhill - up until which it was less than half-full.

 

[ert47]

While Earlswood, Salfords, Ifield, Faygate and Littlehaven don't have barriers all of the other stations between London Bridge and Horsham via Redhill do now. Even most of the significant Coastway stations do too. I was surprised to see them at Angmering the other day.

Southern conductors are much more visible than they are on other routes as they tend not to retreat to rear cabs.

Funily enough, they did manage to catch someone out on the train between LBG and NWD so we still kinda need ticket checks even though there are barriers around that section.