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> Local ticket offices (rail)
Richard Garvie
post Jun 2 2014, 04:47 PM
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Hi, just a quick post. When I was politically active in West Berks, I led a regional campaign to save ticket offices. The Telegraph have today published a list of ticket offices that will be axed, and it appears only Newbury, Didcot, Reading and Basingstoke will retain them with all the others locally being closed (including Thatcham which takes almost as much money as Newbury).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/roa...s-to-close.html
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Biker1
post Jun 2 2014, 05:13 PM
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QUOTE (Richard Garvie @ Jun 2 2014, 05:47 PM) *
Hi, just a quick post. When I was politically active in West Berks, I led a regional campaign to save ticket offices. The Telegraph have today published a list of ticket offices that will be axed, and it appears only Newbury, Didcot, Reading and Basingstoke will retain them with all the others locally being closed (including Thatcham which takes almost as much money as Newbury).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/roa...s-to-close.html

I think saying "will be axed" might be a little over reacting.
These are are the offices that were recommended to be reviewed for possible closure in the McNulty report of a couple of years ago.
The emphasis being on "recommend". The DFT stil has to make decisions on this.
A new ticket office and other station facilities are currently being built a Theale so yes, you are probably right about that one!! wink.gif
Funny how Pewsey is not on the list. Does an MP or someone high up live there? Only has about 8 trains a day!
You are wrong about Thatcham by the way, it takes nothing like as much as Newbury.
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pbonnay
post Jun 2 2014, 07:13 PM
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When I need to travel into London, I now buy my ticket via the FGW website - and you get Nectar points too.

Then I only need to collect my ticket from a machine at the station.
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On the edge
post Jun 2 2014, 08:18 PM
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I must admit, I now always use the machines. I'm not exactly a fan of FGW but they do seem to be pretty well laid out. There are also FGW and National Rail apps that show you what's happening for connections. In reality, it's just technology changing job roles, after all, the engines don't need firemen these days either! (Yes I know, mores the pity, but then by now we'd have had automatic mechanical stokers...)


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Richard Garvie
post Jun 2 2014, 11:30 PM
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Biker - you can check the data online... it wasn't much less at all. The Guardian published the figures not long ago for every station in the country.
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Biker1
post Jun 3 2014, 07:41 AM
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QUOTE (pbonnay @ Jun 2 2014, 08:13 PM) *
When I need to travel into London, I now buy my ticket via the FGW website - and you get Nectar points too.

Then I only need to collect my ticket from a machine at the station.

If the machine is working!
Only trouble is that at most of the stations listed in our area the machines are card only. If you only have cash then you can't buy at the station.
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Biker1
post Jun 3 2014, 07:51 AM
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QUOTE (On the edge @ Jun 2 2014, 09:18 PM) *
I must admit, I now always use the machines. I'm not exactly a fan of FGW but they do seem to be pretty well laid out. There are also FGW and National Rail apps that show you what's happening for connections. In reality, it's just technology changing job roles, after all, the engines don't need firemen these days either! (Yes I know, mores the pity, but then by now we'd have had automatic mechanical stokers...)

OTE, I presume you are a regular rail user / commuter to whom having an unmanned station is no real problem.
There are many leisure / casual / elderly etc. users for who having a staffed station is essential.
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pbonnay
post Jun 3 2014, 07:53 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 3 2014, 08:41 AM) *
If the machine is working!
Only trouble is that at most of the stations listed in our area the machines are card only. If you only have cash then you can't buy at the station.

But in the case I describe, I have paid already - online...

If for some reason I could not physically collect a ticket at the station, then I still have proof of ticket purchase on my phone in a confirmation email from FGW.
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Biker1
post Jun 3 2014, 08:33 AM
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QUOTE (pbonnay @ Jun 3 2014, 08:53 AM) *
But in the case I describe, I have paid already - online...

If for some reason I could not physically collect a ticket at the station, then I still have proof of ticket purchase on my phone in a confirmation email from FGW.

If you have coverage, and make sure the phone is well charged! wink.gif
Anyway, sorry I didn't make it clear that I was talking about ticket purchase in general and not just those pre-paid.
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motormad
post Jun 3 2014, 10:09 AM
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The guy in Thatcham train station is awesome.



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On the edge
post Jun 3 2014, 10:26 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 3 2014, 08:51 AM) *
OTE, I presume you are a regular rail user / commuter to whom having an unmanned station is no real problem.
There are many leisure / casual / elderly etc. users for who having a staffed station is essential.

Yes, you are right. Is the closure of ticket offices simply a cover for eliminating all staff from stations? If so, it's wrong! I thought the idea was that the staff wouldn't actually be inside the office, rather mingling about with the passengers, keeping order and showing people how the machines work etc. Perhaps that's just the TfL vision. Nonetheless. eliminating all staff from stations would be a retrograde step.


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Biker1
post Jun 5 2014, 09:06 AM
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QUOTE (Richard Garvie @ Jun 3 2014, 12:30 AM) *
Biker - you can check the data online... it wasn't much less at all. The Guardian published the figures not long ago for every station in the country.

Newbury 1.5M approx

Thatcham .5M approx.
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Andy Capp
post Jun 5 2014, 11:19 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 5 2014, 10:06 AM) *
Newbury 1.5M approx

Thatcham .5M approx.

Agreed, according to this (Hungerford and Kintbury are missing): http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2...isted-rail#data

Biker1, what would be the threshold for being safe (busy)?
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Biker1
post Jun 6 2014, 07:53 AM
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jun 5 2014, 12:19 PM) *
Biker1, what would be the threshold for being safe (busy)?

No idea how a decision was made in the report reccomending a particular station's fate.
However, no decision has been made on any of those listed so it's probably best to wait until firm proposals are available.
Little has been heard of the McNulty report as of late so maybe it has slipped down the DFT's priorities?
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NWNREADER
post Jun 6 2014, 12:10 PM
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Pardon my confusion, but the report appears to be dated 9:38PM BST 05 Sep 2011.
Very sad that RG is no longer 'active in politics'
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Biker1
post Jun 7 2014, 09:32 AM
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QUOTE (NWNREADER @ Jun 6 2014, 01:10 PM) *
Pardon my confusion, but the report appears to be dated 9:38PM BST 05 Sep 2011.

Correct.
As I said it was in direct response to the McNulty report which was released at the time.
It seems to have gone quiet on that front and I doubt whether any government is brave enough to implement it fully or even in part.
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NWNREADER
post Jun 7 2014, 10:49 AM
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My confusion was that RG stated the article had been published in the last few days.......
Maybe he has an inside line on a decision about to be made?
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The Optimist
post Jun 7 2014, 07:13 PM
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QUOTE (NWNREADER @ Jun 7 2014, 11:49 AM) *
My confusion was that RG stated the article had been published in the last few days.......
Maybe he has an inside line on a decision about to be made?


I note that the Telegraph website has today's date always showing in the top right, though that has nothing to do with the article which, as you say is quite obviously from 2011.

Maybe a little point-scoring exercise gone astray through lack of attention to detail?
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NWNREADER
post Jun 7 2014, 07:52 PM
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QUOTE (The Optimist @ Jun 7 2014, 08:13 PM) *
I note that the Telegraph website has today's date always showing in the top right, though that has nothing to do with the article which, as you say is quite obviously from 2011.

Maybe a little point-scoring exercise gone astray through lack of attention to detail?



Surely not. Who would do such a thing?
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