Merseyrail

[wirralbus]

RE: Merseyrail
Once again there is problems at Walton Junction .

A rail replacement bus service will operate between Sandhills -Aintree / Fazakerley and kirkby.

RE : Conway Park.
A rail replacement is now in operation between Birkenhead North and Hamilton Square .

[507 mad]

RE: Merseyrail
got a couple of pics and vids of DR98903/53 today up and down the network. does anybody now what it was doing.

[jtd508110]

RE: Merseyrail
507008 is now sporting a name plate. I think it is "Harold Wilson" but not 100% as I only saw it when passing Birkenhead North TMD

[wirralbus]

RE: Merseyrail

(12/03/2013 17:03)jtd508110 Wrote:  507008 is now sporting a name plate. I think it is "Harold Wilson" but not 100% as I only saw it when passing Birkenhead North TMD

Was named on Monday at Rock Ferry.

[N301 CKB]

RE: Merseyrail
Not sure if this has been mentioned already or elsewhere, but Merseyrail is featured on tonight's Railway programme on BBC2 now, It is repeated at some point later in the week. Very good series it has been too.

[N271CKB]

RE: Merseyrail
It's been a cracking series.
The episode with merseyrail is repeated tonight ( weds ) at 23.20 on bbc2

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Merseyrail
It was another good episode this evening. Out of interest having watched it, why do Merseyrail refuse to issue tickets on the train? Is that much extra effort to issue guards with a ticket machine. Seems very unfair on passengers who may not be familiar with Merseyrail and rushing to just get onto the train with the full intention of paying to me! Being cynical, I suppose the £20 penalty fare just brings them in that extra bit of revenue. Either way though, it just seems to increase the number of violence related incidents from what I can gather.

As a somewhat off-topic aside, are there any other operators who choose not to issue onboard tickets?

[First Class]

RE: Merseyrail

(13/03/2013 01:20)CX54 DKD Wrote:  It was another good episode this evening. Out of interest having watched it, why do Merseyrail refuse to issue tickets on the train? Is that much extra effort to issue guards with a ticket machine. Seems very unfair on passengers who may not be familiar with Merseyrail and rushing to just get onto the train with the full intention of paying to me! Being cynical, I suppose the £20 penalty fare just brings them in that extra bit of revenue. Either way though, it just seems to increase the number of violence related incidents from what I can gather.

As a somewhat off-topic aside, are there any other operators who choose not to issue onboard tickets?

A single Avantix machine costs £10,000. Then you need to process the revenue, provide training, arrange a maintenance contract with ATOS, That's why guards don't have them.

All Penalty Fare revenue is cost neutral as ALL "profits" are reinvested into the revenue protection/ prosecutions function, i.e. they do not actually generate any additional income.

Merseyrail does not tend to Penalty Fare people who have travelled from outside the Merseyrail area. For example, someone coming from Ruabon may not have a ticket because their station is unstaffed, but instead of buying one at Chester, they go straight onto the Liverpool Central train. Most RPOs will allow them to just pay the normal fare.

It is also important to remember that as part of the PF Rules, every station must have a large Penalty Fare warning poster, which is bright yellow, and is at every entrance and interchange point at Merseyrail stations. If people don't bother to read it, then it's down to them if they have to pay £20!

London Overground and the busiest and most profitable franchise, First Capital Connect, along with most other Driver Only Operated networks do not issue tickets on board.

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Merseyrail
Thanks First Class.

[jtd508110]

RE: Merseyrail
The RPI's issue tickets an unmanned stations sometimes in their books. Surely the guards could do something similar?