On Apr 9, 9:39*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Fri, 9 Apr 2010 13:07:59 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T
wrote:

I was in Stratford last September and saw something quite bizarre - a
couple of the Jubbly gates (in each direction) had standalone
validators fitted next to them and these featured pink (interchange)
pads, so it almost seemed as if some pax were going to be expected to
validate twice to get through the gates. This kinda blew my mind! I
did take a couple of very bad photos, but the Jubilee was closed that
weekend so I never saw if this arrangement was ever actually used. I'd
intended to post here about it, but things happened and I wasn't on
utl for a while thereafter, so I never got round to it. I'll try and
find said photos (which is something I'm sure I've said beforehand
though!). When I was next passing through Stratford in December (I
think), I took a look and found the gates locked open (with Oyster
pads inactive/ turned off), and the four or so standalone readers
active with yellow pads - this remained the situation a week or so
ago.

I'm wondering if the extra standalone validators were some far out
kludge that someone had devised to supposedly sort out some
horrifically complicated issue connected with the PAYG expansion - if
so, thankfully it got vetoed at some point (because it would have been
too confusing for words!). But these extra standalone readers were
definitely new installations as of sometime late summer '09, so
whatever it was had got far enough along the line to leave the drawing
board and assume a physical manifestation in the real world.

Remember though that Oyster routing validators were introduced with PAYG
in September last year. *The population expanded a bit when Oyster on NR
happened. It will expand a wee bit more when ELLX opens. * Again more
speculation from me but the Oyster route validators must create a
special transaction on the Oyster card which is used by the validation
device on final exit to charge the correct fare. *In effect it is an
"interchange" transaction with a purpose. *The JLE gateline also used to
set an "interchange" entry or exit transaction but it had no routing
purpose because there was only ever one PAYG fare prior to the "pink
invasion". * I would speculate that TfL decided that one form of
interchange transaction record had rather more value than one specific
to one location on the system.

I am sure that the things you saw there were put in to allow people
travelling from the east of Stratford, on the NLL and on NXEA from
Tottenham Hale to register their route so as to be charged via Zone 2/3
rather than via Zone 1.

I will dig the photos out and post them up somewhere (rather than
wasting time and effort jousting with Luko elsewhere!). It was a very
bizarre arrangement, but as I said I was never there to see it in
action (if it ever was in action). Afraid my abject failure to post
something timely on here means we're discussing it now when it's all
now history!


What is not clear from the photos I've seen of Stratford since the gates
went is whether there are still routing validators near the Jubilee Line
platforms. *It would make sense for them to be still there given the
need to log your route remains.

When I saw the very same validators later - in December, or maybe it
was January actually, then again a week or so ago, they'd changed from
pink to yellow pads. No photographic evidence this time I'm afraid,
but I'm 100% certain of it. No idea if there's anything there now -
I'll try and route myself via Stratford soon and have a butchers.


Having had to try to find a validator at Stratford to record an entry on
my (priv) PAYG card while trying to use the NXEA service to T Hale I
ended up walking for nearly 8 minutes to try to find one. *There are non
on the Lea Valley platforms or on the corridors leading to them. This
strikes me as an omission. When I found one on the central line
platforms I ended just getting on the central line instead! *I imagine
most people who have given up 7 minutes before I did. *The NXEA staff
had no idea what I was talking about when I asked where the nearest
validator was.

Not ideal, no. The new NLL platforms have them, but of course the NLL
platforms are very much closed at present. Others are on the Central
line platforms and at the entrance to the (existing) DLR platforms.
There weren't any validators at the end of platform 10 (?) where the
stop for the bus link for Stratford Int'l is located - though that
doesn't provide for access to the great outside.

(Quite separately I wonder how well used the highspeed services to
Stratford are by commuters, specifically those bound for Docklands/
Canary Wharf which must surely be the bulk of the potential market -
though maybe a few of those City bound might find getting on an NXEA
Great Eastern to Liverpool Street do-able, what with all the Central
line interchangees who alight at Stratford for the tube? Though the
Met/Circle line from KXSP will probably remain the preferable choice.)