Now that the new wide gates have replaced the old manual ones I notice
a reduction in staff hear the barriers. A couple of time recently at
High Street Ken at about 2000 there have been no staff visible
anywhere.

Are we moving to the Paris Metro situation where the staff can remain
in the office and only come out if there is a problem or are they
reducing the number of staff at stations ?

trainmanUK gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying:

Are we moving to the Paris Metro situation where the staff can remain in
the office and only come out if there is a problem

Moving to?

That's been the case at some tube stations since barriers were installed.
No staff on duty, barriers left open (where there are barriers).

On 22 Oct 2009 09:21:26 GMT
Adrian wrote:
trainmanUK gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying:

Are we moving to the Paris Metro situation where the staff can remain in
the office and only come out if there is a problem

Moving to?

That's been the case at some tube stations since barriers were installed.
No staff on duty, barriers left open (where there are barriers).

Not at my station where in the mornings 2 or 3 of the staff crowd around the
barriers watching everyone going through. Its nice to have staff at hand
if theres a problem but the way this lot do it its like going through the
bouncers at a club.

B2003

On 22 Oct 2009 09:21:26 GMT, Adrian wrote:

That's been the case at some tube stations since barriers were installed.
No staff on duty, barriers left open (where there are barriers).

I forget where it was, but I have had to barge through a barrier at a
LU station because it was left with no staff on duty, the manual gate
locked *and* the emergency open button was non-functional.

I had a valid ticket which had worked fine elsewhere but for some
reason wouldn't activate any of the barriers on that barrier line.

With hindsight I should have reported this, as it could have become a
very serious issue in the event of a fire.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:41:44 GMT
(Neil Williams) wrote:
I forget where it was, but I have had to barge through a barrier at a
LU station because it was left with no staff on duty, the manual gate
locked *and* the emergency open button was non-functional.

I had a valid ticket which had worked fine elsewhere but for some
reason wouldn't activate any of the barriers on that barrier line.

With hindsight I should have reported this, as it could have become a
very serious issue in the event of a fire.

If london had a flat fare system it wouldn't need all this overcomplicated
gate ******** anyway. You'd pay the fare to get through the entry gates with
a token or oyster or whatever and the exit gates could be freely revolving
turnstyles.

B2003

In message , at 10:58:17 on Thu, 22 Oct 2009,
remarked:
If london had a flat fare system it wouldn't need all this overcomplicated
gate ******** anyway. You'd pay the fare to get through the entry gates with
a token or oyster or whatever and the exit gates could be freely revolving
turnstyles.

A flat fare system that coped with Covent Garden to Leicester Square as
well as Epping to Aylesbury, would be a feat to behold.
--
Roland Perry

"trainmanUK" wrote in message
...
Now that the new wide gates have replaced the old manual ones I notice
a reduction in staff hear the barriers. A couple of time recently at
High Street Ken at about 2000 there have been no staff visible
anywhere.

Are we moving to the Paris Metro situation where the staff can remain
in the office and only come out if there is a problem or are they
reducing the number of staff at stations ?

Some years ago I was with a colleague at La Defense and his ticket wouldn't
work, no one came to his aid despite my shouting in my best Franglais at the
ticket office clerk, and in the end he had to climb over the barrier. Nobody
objected!

MaxB

Paul Corfield wrote on 22 October 2009 19:07:48 ...
On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:57:55 +0100, "Batman55"
wrote:

"trainmanUK" wrote in message
...
Now that the new wide gates have replaced the old manual ones I notice
a reduction in staff hear the barriers. A couple of time recently at
High Street Ken at about 2000 there have been no staff visible
anywhere.

Are we moving to the Paris Metro situation where the staff can remain
in the office and only come out if there is a problem or are they
reducing the number of staff at stations ?

Some years ago I was with a colleague at La Defense and his ticket wouldn't
work, no one came to his aid despite my shouting in my best Franglais at the
ticket office clerk, and in the end he had to climb over the barrier. Nobody
objected!

Been there, done that too!

Well yes but La Defense is a perfect example of the nonsense of Paris's
fare scheme once outside the central area. The Metro to La Defense is
all flat fare. If you use the RER it is in Zone 2 or 3 and therefore
there are gates to check whether you have a valid ticket [1]. People
moan about London's alleged lack of fare integration but we don't have
that sort of nonsense although Thameslink at Farringdon might get close.

Heathrow is an exactly similar situation. A Z1-6 Travelcard will get
you to Heathrow on the Piccadilly, but only as far as Hayes & Harlington
on Heathrow Connect, which for most of its journey is an ordinary
suburban stopping train.

--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:57:55 +0100, Batman55 wrote:

"trainmanUK" wrote in message
...

Some years ago I was with a colleague at La Defense and his ticket
wouldn't work, no one came to his aid despite my shouting in my best
Franglais at the ticket office clerk, and in the end he had to climb
over the barrier. Nobody objected!

Seems like La Defense has issues.

I got there by tram, which I assumed, like the Metro, had no zonal
restrictions. It turns out that it does, so my pass wasn't valid for xit
there. And there was nowhere inside the gates to pay the excess fare (or
even to purchase a full ticket). Nor could I get back on the tram and go
back the way I came, since I had already left the gated area for the
tram. And there was no one there who appeared able to help - in any
language.
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA

On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:26:52 +0100
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 10:58:17 on Thu, 22 Oct 2009,
remarked:
If london had a flat fare system it wouldn't need all this overcomplicated
gate ******** anyway. You'd pay the fare to get through the entry gates with
a token or oyster or whatever and the exit gates could be freely revolving
turnstyles.

A flat fare system that coped with Covent Garden to Leicester Square as
well as Epping to Aylesbury, would be a feat to behold.

They managed a flat fare in New York. You ever looked at the distance between
Times Square and Far Rockaway?

B2003