Manned barriers and ticket checks 27/07/2010. Lack of both.

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Today I travelled from Bristol Parkway to Swindon then back from Swindon, stopping off at Bath for a couple of hours, and then returning to BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) via Bristol Temple Meads.

At none of the stations were the barriers manned when I passed through. Neither did I have my tickets inspected on any of the 4 trains I caught. The HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) can just about be excused I suppose, but the local from Bath to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) and another local from BRI to BPW, both lightly loaded, are a little harder to excuse for not having ticket checks.

Was it a special 'Let's not protect revenue' day today on FGW^▸ (First Great Western)?

[Mookiemoo]

Well I know at temple meads at about 1330 the barriers were open and the one solitary guy on the pushchair door was holding it open

But there were a lot of BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) about

[Chris from Nailsea]

My journey home on the 16:36 Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads (Portsmouth to Cardiff train) service this afternoon:

This involved walking through the opened and unmanned gateline at Bath (I was quite amused to see some other intending passengers nevertheless frantically checking trouser pockets / handbags for their tickets, before they even dared to approach the open barriers!)

On board the moderately loaded 3-car 158, there were no ticket checks before BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) - just one member of the train crew, walking the length of the train, doing an apparently fairly detailed passenger count.

However, to be fair: on the BRI to NLS^▸ (Nailsea & Backwell station) train (a rather lucky - unofficial - connection, as it turned out!) my ticket was gripped with an impressively clear Zifa stamper!  No smudging: clear imprint in black ink - a true masterpiece!

CfN. 

[devon_metro]

My journey home on the 16:36 Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads (Portsmouth to Cardiff train) service this afternoon:

This involved walking through the opened and unmanned gateline at Bath (I was quite amused to see some other intending passengers nevertheless frantically checking trouser pockets / handbags for their tickets, before they even dared to approach the open barriers!)

On board the moderately loaded 3-car 158, there were no ticket checks before BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) - just one member of the train crew, walking the length of the train, doing an apparently fairly detailed passenger count.

However, to be fair: on the BRI to NLS^▸ (Nailsea & Backwell station) train (a rather lucky - unofficial - connection, as it turned out!) my ticket was gripped with an impressively clear Zifa stamper!  No smudging: clear imprint in black ink - a true masterpiece!

CfN. 

Corr, that beats my record of 2 minutes making that connection and I thought I was lucky  .

[inspector_blakey]

Do I win a prize for making a "-2" (i.e. my connection was scheduled to leave two minutes before my incoming train) at New Street a few years back, given that the connecting train left on time?!

my ticket was gripped with an impressively clear Zifa stamper!  No smudging: clear imprint in black ink - a true masterpiece!

Wonder if it was a fluke or if the updated ink cartridges designed for thermal tickets are making an appearance (several years after the thermal tickets...)

[johoare]

That has made me realise.. I can't remember the last time my ticket was checked.. Although barriers are usually working at either end of my journey..

Mind you on Monday night.. 7.30pm.. so still the tail end of the rush hour.. and all barriers at Maidenhead were open.. no member of staff in sight.. .. and we'd got on at platform 9 so unbarriered at Paddington... Sometimes I wonder why I have a ticket.. but I always do..

(is unbarriered a word?.. it is now..)

[devon_metro]

Do I win a prize for making a "-2" (i.e. my connection was scheduled to leave two minutes before my incoming train) at New Street a few years back, given that the connecting train left on time?!

I've made a -20+ connection before  

[Chris from Nailsea]

(is unbarriered a word?.. it is now..)

'Unbarriered' was certainly a word back in 2000 - it was even quoted in Hansard. 

[inspector_blakey]

I've made a -20+ connection before  

Surely not in Birminghan though...!

[Ollie]

Well I've been noting down if a ticket check has happened on train on my little trip.

So far I have done 25 trains - of these 25 my ticket was checked on 11 of them.

[Toiletdriver]

Do I win a prize for making a "-2" (i.e. my connection was scheduled to leave two minutes before my incoming train) at New Street a few years back, given that the connecting train left on time?!

I've made a -20+ connection before  

Amateur
Went for a minus 90, my train was an hour late and still had time for a beer.

[JayMac]

Went for a minus 90, my train was an hour late and still had time for a beer.

I trust it was an off duty trip!!

[Ollie]

Well I've been noting down if a ticket check has happened on train on my little trip.

So far I have done 25 trains - of these 25 my ticket was checked on 11 of them.

Just for comparison. I have so far been on 10 trains today. My ticket has been checked on all of them.

[Toiletdriver]

Went for a minus 90, my train was an hour late and still had time for a beer.

I trust it was an off duty trip!!

Most definately!