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The Ticket Collector

So where are the Ticket Barriers weve been promised?

October 30, 2006 on 3:06 am | In FCC, GNER |

Ok so when FCC swooped in and took over the running of the old WAGN route out of Kings Corss we were promised lots and lots of things including lovley new ticket barriers to stop nasty fare evaders.

Ok so why are we still waiting?

I am fully aware that it was a Franchise Commitment to have ticket barriers installed before the end of this year at most if not all of the stations mentioned. I have yet to see any new barriers on the network.

When they do get installed I can just see it, pink barriers with the First ‘F’ stickered all over them and a lovely smiling ticket inspector telling you to “actually bother to get your gold card out and put it in the machine you lazy git”

Oh and GNER are being screwed to pay for the barriers at Kings Cross and Stevenage.

3 Comments

  1. Love your blog - I travel frequently between Newcastle (home) and London (work) and use good old GNER of course. This weekend I didn’t go home, but to see my brother in Stamford. Best connection was FCC to P’bro and then whoeveritwas across. I duly paid £36.50 for a weekender, for it to remain calmly in my wallet, never to be seen until I took it out when I got back to my flat last night. I’ll wait to pay on the train next time. These companies must be losing millions of pounds in unpaid for travel. No wonder they can’t afford the barriers.

    Comment by Bill — October 30, 2006 #

  2. Well if you did that, FCC would try and get more money out of you via their Penalty Fares System. Your much better to buy your ticket before you get on, even if you never get it checked!

    Comment by admin — October 31, 2006 #

  3. The gates are being installed in 2007 (May for Hatfield I believe). Hatfield will also get 17 CCTV cameras in due course, controlled and monitored 24/7 at the new Enfield control centre. We’re also getting a new cash machine, vending machine, refurbished toilets and new shelters FWIW! At the start of the year, the station walls will also get additional protection to stop anyone being able to climb over. Money IS being spent, even if we haven’t seen anything just yet.

    The RPIs at stations will remain to man the gates, and the hope is that the station will remain open longer. Again, speaking for Hatfield, the staff already man the exits one hour after the station itself has closed (i.e. 9pm). After that, it’s effectively a free for all as the gates will just be left open.

    The question is, will inspectors then get back on to the trains for the late night services? If not, you can expect many incidents rather like the one that ended up with me being assaulted last month.

    Kings Cross will only be gated at 9-11 because you apparently ‘don’t gate Intercity services’ so GNER/Network Rail have no interest in protecting their trains, thus the FCC services stopping there will have no revenue protection either.

    To be fair to First, they ARE very proactive on revenue protection (everyone must have noticed the difference, at least in the daytime) and they are hiring lots of new staff (and, allegedly getting rid of some ex-Wagn ones that got poor training and often get into difficulties because of poor attitude).

    They want to gate every station, but some are going to be near impossible. How would you gate Welwyn Garden City for example? On the platforms outdoors?

    Comment by Jonathan Morris — November 4, 2006 #

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