New design of common stock ticket

[whole diary]

[Bmblbzzz]

In the Trout's photos above, 2 and 3 do look far clearer to me than 1. Nothing to choose between those two.

[thetrout]

In the Trout's photos above, 2 and 3 do look far clearer to me than 1. Nothing to choose between those two.

The only real different between tickets 2 and 3 (apart from 3 being slightly bolder text gained by using a fixed printer rather than a portable battery powered one) is the restriction code information.

If you look carefully at ticket 3 to the right of "Validity" it will show a restriction code. In this case W4. You can then go to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/W4 for details of these usage restrictions.

Ticket 2 doesn't have this and just says "See restrictions" which isn't at all that helpful.

Ticket 3 the railcard codes are bigger font size in addition. They used to be the size of ticket 2 but changed some time ago.

[Brucey]

There is also another design floating around (don't have one to hand at the moment) issued by Virgin East Coast.  This design is similar to thetrouts's image 3, but has the STD/1ST moved to the location of RTN and DSB moved to the left of Price (and now under the header 'Status').  In the new empty space is a Aztec code (a type of 2D barcode that is also used on print at home tickets).

I see no real benefit to the passenger, except you can use the barcode readers attached to some gatelines if you do not want the barrier to eat your ticket (expenses, for example).

[TonyK]

That is a sentiment I have overheard in passing at a ticket barrier. A passenger had used the wrong part of his return in the barrier and complained that the words were too small to read - staff member replied that a lot of people had been saying that.

Suddenly, I am making more rail journeys than in prior times, and I have taken to ordering my tickets for any foreseeable trips via FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s website in one go, then collecting them on my first visit to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). Intense scrutiny, using an intense scrute, is now needed to avoid presenting the wrong ticket. I have adopted the practice of removing from my wallet only that bit of card needed for the immediate journey.

Brought back to basics, however, the only change in the most important information (for the passenger) on the ticket is the details of the journey - origin and destination. These are now in mixed, rather than upper, case. We'll get used to it before printed tickets disappear forever.

[BerkshireBugsy]

I've just picked up an advance purchase ticket from the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at Thatcham (THA) for a journey from there to Loughborough. It appears to be in the new format - but to me it doesn't look as "important" as the old format.

I ordered an advance single and got two items from the TVM - one being the receipt and one which I believe is the ticket. I hope that is right!

[bobm]

I collected some advance London to Bristol tickets from the machine at Penzance on Thursday morning.  They were in the new format but seat reservations still on a separate card.

I agree they don't look as important as the previous design and I am not a huge fan of the font which looks less polished to my eye.

[TaplowGreen]

Agreed re: the font but I guess putting everything on the one ticket instead of a separate reservation saves a few trees/^ in the long run?

[Surrey 455]

New style ticket received today at a Slough TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) when I bought a ticket to Paddington.

[Rhydgaled]

I purchased a simple Anytime Day Single from the ticket machine at Carmarthen on Saturday (5th Sept.) and got a new-style ticket. There's quite a bit of empty space on the ticket, compared to the old style, and the origin and destination appear to stand out less. One wonders if the information in the new style (plus details of time restrictions, in the case of off-peak tickets, and reservations) could be printed on the reverse of the ticket for the passenger's information with the front of the ticket remaining in the old style to make easier reading for guards / ticket inspectors.

[paul7575]

...One wonders if the information in the new style (plus details of time restrictions, in the case of off-peak tickets, and reservations) could be printed on the reverse of the ticket for the passenger's information with the front of the ticket remaining in the old style to make easier reading for guards / ticket inspectors.

Of course it could be done in theory; all you'd have to do is replace the printers in every ticket machine in the land, in both ticket offices and in TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine).  Hardly cost effective I reckon.

Paul