Withdrawal of Platform Tickets

[ashurstdave]

I was at Southampton Central today ( 31st January 09 ) and there is now a notice at the barriers endorsed by The Station Manager that platform tickets have been withdrawn and there is no access to the platforms without a valid travel ticket. Therefore the only way to access the platforms was to purchase a return ticket to the next station - Millbrook. I wanted to meet a senior citizen off an Arriva Cross-Country train and I considered this ban most unfriendly and unwelcoming. I have therefore e-mailed The Railway Magazine as they are considering starting a campaign to bring back the platform ticket. If forum members are also affected by your local station not allowing access, the Editor of Railway Magazine can be e-mailed at railway@ipcmedia.com
As a matter of interest, the March magazine states that last year over 160,000 people were stopped by police at British Stations. This includes a large percentage of railway enthusiasts whose "crime" was taking notes and supporting a camera to photograph trains!!!

[class47]

Our barriers have yet to arrive, and I expect that they will.

Then the trouble will begin

[ashurstdave]

The April Edition of "Railway Magazine" has printed various letters regarding the non-issue of platform tickets - Pages 28/29. Part of my letter to the magazine has also been reproduced.

Even more annoying now at Southampton Central, the public footbridge outside the station is closed until 17th July for repairs, which caught me out last Saturday, resulting in quite a long detour on foot via the top of Southampton Tunnel in order to go from Platform 1 to Platform 4 side.

It would appear that the platform ticket situation has become a national disgrace and I would urge all readers to support the Railway Magazine's campaign.

[class47]

I agree, or better still make stations open again, when will they realise that putting barriers up is not really the answer