I don't know what happens at Milton Keynes Central, but I know they announce "tickets marked London Midland are not valid on this train" for Virgin Trains services that call at Watford Junction, and announce the same in reverse at Birmingham New Street for Cross Country services via Coventry.
As for wellwhatitis' point, if "40 or 50 people" on a train that seats 500 are using the wrong ticket, then IMHO that indicates a fairly serious problem with how the industry is choosing to retail its tickets. I don't doubt some people have an unfortunate habit of making the same "mistake" every single day, and with these people likely to be taking the same train most days they'll become easy to spot. I also expect that plenty of people make genuine errors- London Midland's TVMs are an absolute nightmare to use and Virgin's TVMs prominently list their own tickets ahead of everyone else's.
I more took issue with the way wellwhatitis was using hyperbole to imply that everyone who makes that mistake is a crook, deliberately out to defraud London Midland.
I did not say and am not saying that they are all crooks. And what's more I accept that the industry has retail problems. But what I am saying is that there are a sizeable proportion of people using trains daily who are extremely clued up and are happy to knowingly take the chance on buying a specific TOC only product because it is cheaper in full confidence that they will travel undetected and save considerable amounts over the course of the year compared to their more compliant compatriots.
I made the point myself that Beardy's Fast Ticket machines are effectively traps. And when I come across passengers who have genuinely made an error ( and yes they are out there) I sell them the new ticket, endorse their ticket as unused and initial it and direct them to Beardy for a refund. When I encounter the serial offenders, I sell them the new ticket and refuse to endorse the other one. It is ridiculous to expect me to offer 'evidence' other than my experience as already stated. These people do this shamelessly in the knowledge that the worst that will happen to them is they will be asked to buy a new ticket on the rare occasion they are detected. 9 times out of 10 they will go unchallenged, sail through the barrier and pocket the saving.
Meanwhile cramped LM commuter trains leave passengers behind at smaller stations because they are full of effective freeloaders. That is my point, I am on the side of the fare paying passenger. And it is the ones who do everything right who pay the penalty by either paying more than the others or being prevented travel.
To say it is 'balanced out' is also wrong. LM only tickets are only for long journeys where the chances are if you board a Pendelino your ticket will be checked. Passengers generally therefore only make that mistake once after they end up paying a standard fare on a new ticket.
Due to the short nature of the journeys where VT only apply, the reverse will rarely happen. I once did a BHM to BHI stopper where nearly every passenger travelling to the NEC had purchased tickets at New St and all but a couple had Virgin only. LM received next to no revenue for carrying nearly 300 passengers. It is a complete fiddle and they will always claim not to have been made aware by the ticket seller or the TVM.
As for evidence. I have claimed in the past that ticketless travel and fare evasion in my area are rife, and been laughed at on here by the apologists and hand wringers.
Today I have done an 8 hour shift with a break of an hour.
I issued 79 tickets. 7 of those were to passengers who boarded at unmanned stations. 1 other held a Pertis and 2 were season ticket renewals.
Every other journey commenced from a mainline station with a ticket office or TVM.
Care to explain how/if the other 69 passengers planned to pay their fare if I hadn't worked every train? (as many of my colleagues don't)
.
