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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 14, 2013 7:47:10 GMT
This is probably going to be a controversial opinion... Speaking personally, I would have no issues if LU shut all the ticket offices down... many of them are now open at hours that don't make sense and aren't useful, and with the advent of Contactless Card payments, in addition to Oyster, it's going to be easier to travel so there is even less need for them. At big stations, and the NR termini in Central London it definitely makes sense to have something, though - mainly for those visiting London so they can get around. What I'd be interested to see is the Cost Per Customer of keeping ticket offices open at smaller and less used stations - i.e: Staff Cost --------------------- = Cost Per Customer Customer Number and also the number of people that are using the ticket counter who could equally as well use the Self Service machines... as long as each station has one that takes notes/coins as well as card. I think you are making an excellent point. These decisions need to be evidence-based, but the right evidence has to be chosen... Here's an annoying incident from a few months ago. I had made a succession of mistakes (four) with my Oyster card involving entering and leaving a station without travelling and felt I was due a refund on sympathetic grounds (I had been trying to do the right thing but the system didn't think so - long story). I phoned the helpline number from home and spoke to someone who looked at my Oyster account on line and agreed it was fair that I should have a refund, but they were only able to process the most recent instance for me. For multiple refunds prior to the most recent, apparently, you have to turn up in person at a station, which is what I did and went through the whole process again and got my refunds. So that was a completely unnecessary visit to a ticket counter and either a waste of time for the ticket office or for the helpline, depending on your point of view. I have noticed that some stations at some hours have a closed ticket office but also a member of staff standing in the ticket hall ready to help people so it would also be useful to see some statistics covering what the actual manning levels of stations are at present, and a breakdown of where the staff are deployed by grade (platform versus ticket hall versus inside ticket office, say). Some of the safety / assistance models people are canvassing here could result in no headcount savings but possibly grade reductions?
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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 12, 2013 16:59:34 GMT
Having said that, Frankfurt's S-Bahn and U-Bahn networks seem to manage perfectly well with no gatelines at all and lots of unmanned stations. Even though the ticket machines seemed a bit simpler to me than in London they still needed some thought to negotiate(especially in German...). There are manned ticket offices at the larger stations (I don't know what proportion of the total) and quite a lot of travelling ticket inspectors imposing large on the spot fines on fare-dodgers. I used to travel in Frankfurt fairly often and perhaps one journey in four or five would involve a big gang of uniformed inspectors boarding the train, and sometimes plain-clothes ones.
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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 11, 2013 21:33:03 GMT
This is indeed the southbound DLR platform at Greenwich, and it's the second time I've beaten Deep Level with that station! SE13 forgot to ask you why it was chosen for the 10th though, so those points remain available. It's the anniversary of the founding of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich?
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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 4, 2013 18:39:22 GMT
I think Inset B is Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales and the link between the insets is three (three towers, three re-enactors, three powerboats).
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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 3, 2013 17:37:29 GMT
recorded "apologies" - if you can't be bothered to do anything to apologise except press a button to trigger a recorded announcement, I don't reckon you are genuinely sorry. I completely see where you're coming from on this, however, on the 73 stock there are a few recorded announcements giving a reason for the delay and an apology. I tend to use these as they come up on the displays inside the train so anybody who cannot or has not heard the announcement can read it on the displays as it scrolls across. People boarding the train later in the delay will also have the opportunity to read this. Well, I hadn't thought of that - I withdraw my objection !
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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 3, 2013 12:59:49 GMT
Pet peeves (to be fair, mostly from NR):
tautologies such as "arriving into" and "station stop" as in "we are now arriving into London Euston which is the next and final station stop".
the recorded announcement "this train is being held at a red signal" - do they honestly think that we think that trains just stop randomly for fun? It's more interesting to know why the signal is red, but that needs a human being to speak to us.
recorded "apologies" - if you can't be bothered to do anything to apologise except press a button to trigger a recorded announcement, I don't reckon you are genuinely sorry.
"alight here for Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club" - have moaned about this on here before, but it drives me mad....it's The All England Club for short and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in full. Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club is a different club altogether, admittedly just opposite the one the announcement means, but still....
Love, Light and Peace.
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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 3, 2013 9:59:30 GMT
I enjoy them too, though I admit this one isn't my favourite. A bit too much time on the short-cut (ironically) and I agree it would have taken just a few seconds to explain more about "Great Central". But still, in general I think they are great little films and if they inspire people to find out more, then why not?
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Post by southfieldschris on Aug 2, 2013 13:17:58 GMT
I have just watched a train of D stock at Southfields being taken out of service and depart for Wimbledon with the whistle apparently stuck on continuously. It was v loud admittedly. Would that in itself be a reason to decant all the passengers or could it be a symptom of a more serious underlying problem?
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 30, 2013 14:29:57 GMT
Just to go back to the original subject of a memorial - I appreciate that everyone is different but I can't empathise with the sentiment behind memorials at accident sites. My father died as a result of an accident, and the last thing I would ever have wanted would be a memorial where it happened; not good feelings. I go to visit the spot where his ashes are buried and remember him and happy memories of his life that way. I really wouldn't want to see his memorial at the site of the accident which ended his life.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 29, 2013 22:27:15 GMT
Passed through Liverpool Street today and noticed the North-East entrance to the Central Line from the main concourse has a sign directing people for the Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines to the entrance "opposite Railtrack platforms 5 to 7".
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 28, 2013 14:26:30 GMT
East of Tower Gateway?
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 28, 2013 11:47:47 GMT
I have convinced myself that I remember there being a BR double arrow sign outside Southfields station until ownership passed to LUL in the 1990's, despite the fact that BR itself had never run any regular services from Southfields. I can't find any photos though. Can anyone confirm or deny what I think I recall?
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 27, 2013 17:42:07 GMT
Apologies if this has been asked before, but what leads to signage to/at closed stations being left in situ? Watford West & Croxley Green are probably famous examples, but a Croydon friend tells me that there are still signs directing people to Waddon Marsh. How common is it? Waddon Marsh is a bit different as there is a tramway stop called Waddon Marsh but it's a couple of hundred yards from the site of the original station (halt actually but let's not split hairs). So if there are street signs pointing to Waddon Marsh station now they might be directing people the wrong way. On the other hand, if they are pointing in the right direction then that's ok. Maybe that's why they got left there?
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 23, 2013 10:30:49 GMT
Barbican - Ken's girlfriend is able to
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 23, 2013 7:38:17 GMT
Wapping - very large
Earl's Court - captured a hereditary peer
Barons Court - got another one
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 20, 2013 9:47:41 GMT
A suggestion that someone made to me was to build a new platform west of the current where three tracks can currently be found (2 running rails and a siding) where there is more than enough space for an island platform and then have a walkway from it to the main station where the track currently is. The historian in me would quite like that, despite the walk under the road bridge, as that would put the platforms on part of the site of the original 19th century Wimbledon station.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 19, 2013 15:39:34 GMT
Sutton Council are proposing an extension to a loop around their town centre. This would involve a diversion away from Wimbledon Station itself and more stations in between. TfL say they are looking at funding options. You're going to get us into trouble for talking Tramlink, but in fact the Sutton proposal would involve a branch off the existing route to/from Wimbledon, not a diversion away from Wimbledon Station. BTW - I have been searching hard, when I should have been working, and I believe that there was once some siding provision to the south of the current running lines at Wimbledon in the vicinity of platform 10, but not in modern times.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 19, 2013 14:55:11 GMT
I think the link must be all the main locations end in -ley and I'm guessing A is West Finchley.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 18, 2013 17:47:02 GMT
Apparently there is space for a Clapham Junction type layout and that is what is planned. Apparently in the last few days marks have appeared marking where changes will be made, but I've not seen pictures (and it's been a while since I was in Wimbledon). Thanks, Chris M, I was passing through Wimbledon today which is what put me in mind of it afterwards. Didn't notice any markings at the time, but tbh I was concentrating on not missing my connection. Will have a good look next time. Thanks again.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 18, 2013 14:42:42 GMT
First off - this is NOT an attempt to resurrect the debate about including a forum area for Tramlink.
However....
Given that the Tramlink investment plan seems to involve providing a second platform for it at Wimbledon, I wonder if any forum member knows how this is supposed to be accomplished?
I accept that anything which is done is not going to affect the District Line bays on the north side of the station as Tramlink comes in on the south, but I'm really struggling to see how there is going to be room for a second tram platform. It's not as though there is space alongside either the west or eastern ends of the present Platform 10, so can't see a Clapham Junction/Overground solution working.
Genuinely puzzled, and interested if anyone has any info.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 15, 2013 20:36:04 GMT
Because of the Bastille Day Festival taking place in Southwark ?
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 15, 2013 20:33:58 GMT
West Brompton westbound?
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 6, 2013 12:25:30 GMT
Indeed - it's well written and illustrated too. Thanks for posting. I had been meaning to make my first and possibly only visit to Watford Met as a pleasure trip ever since it became clear that it would close. Then a couple of months ago I had a business meeting in an office in the nearby business park. Result ! Had to go there anyhow and able to reclaim the ticket price on expenses !
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 6, 2013 12:11:50 GMT
Hope someone changes the irritatingly inaccurate in-car recorded announcement about the tennis when the C stock gives way to S7s...
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 6, 2013 12:10:13 GMT
Another great video. According to my better half, who grew up in Gant's Hill, the central passageway at Gant's Hill was designed by Charles Holden and because he also did some consultancy work for the Moscow Metro there is a passing resemblance to some of their stations. Wikipedia says so too - anyone know if it's really true?
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 4, 2013 8:09:14 GMT
Bond Street? Closest station to American Embassy in Grosvenor Square.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 2, 2013 17:07:51 GMT
Noticed today that when I touched in and out with £1.50 on my card that it no longer gives the total and instead displays "Low Balance" on those gatelines with LCD displays. Maybe it means you are supposed to limbo-dance under the gates....."Low Balance"....geddit?...."Low Balance"..... I'll get my coat....
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Post by southfieldschris on Jul 2, 2013 17:05:07 GMT
For those of us going to the All England Club, given the reduced service, is South Wimbledon likely to be easier? (Don't know Wimbledon area at all I'm afraid!) Obviously it depends where you are coming from, but Google reckons it's a 45 minute walk from South Wimbledon station to the All England Club. TfL reckon 17 minutes on a bus to the Wimbledon High Street then a 19 minute walk to the entrance. The recommended route from Embankment is a District Line train to Southfields then a 24-minute walk (or optionally short bus ride and 12 minute walk). Definitely best to come to Southfields. As well as the scheduled bus services from Southfields in the direction of the tennis (493 goes right past the tennis and 39 pretty close) there are special bus services shuttling between Southfields station and the courts and an extended taxi rank with cab sharing, marshals etc.
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Post by southfieldschris on Jun 18, 2013 12:31:38 GMT
Certainly found it interest because 1: at 01:09 the depatures board shows a train calling at Dorking North, Holmwood, Ockley & Capel, Warnham, Horsham and Bookham How did that work?? 2: at 05:40 the train leaves with several doors open. (" 'Elf n safety" please note ) 3: just before the end, the "star" of the film embraces his beloved outside a branch of Boots advertising "surgical requisites", so perhaps the film had a very happy ending! re 1: I suspect the Bookham label had got stuck and wasn't meant to be showing. I remember that used to happen quite a lot with the old flip-over departure boards.
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Post by southfieldschris on May 30, 2013 17:52:53 GMT
On the subject of train despatchers - can anyone here think of a better phrase than "Use all the available doors"? It always bugs me - I use as many doors as I can, but I've never managed to use more than one at a time...
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