Tickets which don't operate barrier.

[miklcct]

I have done my longest rail journey in the UK using a single through ticket, and surprisingly my ticket couldn't work the barrier under most circumstances.

The ticket involved was Bournemouth - Dundee super off-peak return (26-30 railcard), with restriction code 9F. The restriction is on Monday to Friday prohibiting outward travel from London Terminals in peak hours, and return travel to London Terminals in the morning peak. The outward restriction is lifted from Kings Cross and Stevenage on Fridays, i.e. no restrictions on the northbound East Coast Main Line at all on Friday.

I have put my tickets into so many barriers but only a few worked, in travel order:
Outward:
- Friday 09:43 Bournemouth in: didn't work, staff waved me across
- Friday 11:50 Waterloo (National Rail) out: worked
- Friday 11:52 Waterloo East (National Rail) in: didn't work, staff waved me across
- Friday 12:00 Charing Cross (National Rail) out: didn't work (error 125), staff waved me across
- Friday 13:00 Charing Cross (underground) in: worked
- Friday 13:23 King's Cross St. Pancras (underground) out: worked
- Friday 13:45 Kings Cross (National Rail) in: worked
- Friday 20:00 Dundee out: worked, ticket swallowed

Return:
- Sunday 14:54 Dundee in: worked
- Sunday 22:10 Kings Cross (National Rail) out: gate opened, I didn't put ticket in
- Sunday 22:13 King's Cross St. Pancras (underground) in: worked
- Sunday 22:23 Russell Square out: didn't work, staff told me ticket not valid here then let me out
- Monday 09:58 Waterloo (National Rail) in: didn't work, staff waved me across
- Monday 14:19 Bournemouth out: didn't work, staff waved me across

So there were 13 operating barriers in total for my whole return trip, and the ticket only worked 5 of them! And out of the 13 barriers, 8 of them were on the normal line of route! (outward: Bournemouth, Waterloo (NR), Kings Cross (NR), Dundee where 3/4 worked; return: Dundee, King's Cross St. Pancras (tube), Waterloo (NR), Bournemouth where 2/4 worked)

In the past I never had tickets rejected on normal line of routes, even when breaking my journey on the normal route, but here, my ticket was rejected even at the named station! I was very surprised that a correctly dated ticket would be rejected at the named station! How are the ticket barriers actually programmed?

 

[717001]

Some of them might have been programmed for railcard checks.

 

[Haywain]

The ticket being rejected at Russell Square is the correct result, so the barrier and ticket worked as expected.

In the past I never had tickets rejected on normal line of routes, even when breaking my journey on the normal route

I would say that your experience is far from normal. Rejection is quite routine due to the multiple points of failure and complexity of ticketing.

 

[jfollows]

The ticket being rejected at Russell Square is the correct result, so the barrier and ticket worked as expected.

Yes, but the staff at Russell Square were wrong to say that the ticket was not valid to exit there.

 

[Haywain]

Yes, but the staff at Russell Square were wrong to say that the ticket was not valid to exit there.

I didn't feel the need to mention that as the thread title is about tickets operating barriers.

 

[boiledbeans2]

Regarding entry at Bournemouth, before the SWR 'evening out' ticket was created, from my experience, SWR rejects all super off peak tickets unless the train arrives in London after 12 noon.

So i believe SWR's system uses SWR's definition of super off peak, which is only true if the journey is done all on SWR. The staff will wave you through if your destination is outside SWR.

With the new 'evening out' ticket, i'm not sure what the new definition is.

 

[swt_passenger]

Regarding entry at Bournemouth, before the SWR 'evening out' ticket was created, from my experience, SWR rejects all super off peak tickets unless the train arrives in London after 12 noon.

So i believe SWR's system uses SWR's definition of super off peak, which is only true if the journey is done all on SWR. The staff will wave you through if your destination is outside SWR.

I think you’re likely to be right, I doubt standard mag stripe ticket barriers are clever enough to do otherwise. Ppossibly explains Waterloo on Monday as well.

 

[mmh]

- Friday 11:50 Waterloo (National Rail) out: worked
- Friday 11:52 Waterloo East (National Rail) in: didn't work, staff waved me across
- Friday 12:00 Charing Cross (National Rail) out: didn't work (error 125), staff waved me across
- Friday 13:00 Charing Cross (underground) in: worked

As I think has been mentioned before, even where it's valid it's a route nobody would actually use other than to try to experience difficulty, surely? You spent an hour at Charing Cross, so why not just walk across the bridge? Or run. You have told us you're a marathon runner!

 

[miklcct]

As I think has been mentioned before, even where it's valid it's a route nobody would actually use other than to try to experience difficulty, surely? You spent an hour at Charing Cross, so why not just walk across the bridge? Or run. You have told us you're a marathon runner!

I was deliberately breaking my journey at Charing Cross. As Charing Cross is on a valid (although abnormal) route I used my ticket anyway.