Quote:
Originally Posted by grainne whale
With all due respect, validation machines are the only answer. Passengers who don't have a tickets just show an old ticket when disembarking at Heuston. Shame on you not purchasing a valid ticket. I have been travelling on that line for the last 10 years, and I have yet to see anyone assulting a ticket checker, most people are on their way to work at that hour of the morning ( these manned checks are only carried out on morning services). Why can't we have such machines at Heuston, it saves all this hassle.
PS By the way I am an annual ticket holder!!
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I too am an annual ticket holder - not sure why you thought it was relevant. Unless you wear a badge saying "I have an annual ticket", how do the staff know? I also hope you are not insinuating that I travel ticketless.
Example as to why validation machines don't catch all. They have been installed at London terminals for some time, but not at rural stations some way out due to cost, especially if they are unstaffed due to access issues in the event of failure or emergency. A blitz was undertaken on a series of evening peak trains out of Victoria. Significant numbers of passengers - enough for the penalty fares to more than pay the cost of the operation - had tickets to Clapham Junction - the first stop. While no system will eliminate this, unless you barrier all stations automatic validation does not work. I ahve also seen passenger vault over such gates, again at several different times of day.
As regards staff assault, I can assure you it does happen, and not just at night. There will also always be those who try to push past to avoid paying. It is also not just skangers - I have seen a well dressed businessman type push a member of staff out of the way before now - and in the UK, the Head of Rail at the Department of Transport was charged with assaulting a staff member who tried to check his ticket. If you were on the front line, and had been on the recieving end, I can assure you that you would want support. I've been there, some years ago when things were not as bad as now, but former colleagues I am still in touch with have some horrifying stories.
In the event of barriers being installed everywhere, I would love to see the reaction of the "sprinters" at Newbridge and Portarlington to the delays at having to show their ticket at the home station - you know, those who start wlking to the front of the train about 15 minutes before they get off so they can be the first over the bridge....
LC