Station Manager Corner

[SMBJones]

Hi

If I my be so bold and remember I do this posting as I feel it benefits you the passenger and me the station manager and I do this in my own time and is not a requirement of my role with Southern and I must remind you the comments I make are those of mine and not Southern Railway, however I totally disagree with your last sentance and I think unfair. I can not control the passenger flows, for example it is difficult when a lot of passengers decide to buy the monthly tickets on the first day of each month, this process takes longer, why is it that ticket offices dont have queues in the evenings, why cant a passenger purchase a ticket at the end of the day or on a weekend. I have listened to passengers on this thread and extended opening hours at a couple of the locations in my area. If someone purchasing a ticket wants information at the booth we will not say, sorry no information today there is a queue behind you, and I could go on with this...... but I wont.

Making those comments does not help, I am here to listen and I do act upon suggestions and implement ideas, proof is right here on this thread and of course at the stations I manage. I am willing to listen...... I am willing to discuss with my team....... I am willing to help you the passenger, but not with those comments!

As I have said before, my team and I are looking at every avenue to ease congestion. I will of course keep you updated

Kind regards

Barry

Huggers Wrote:

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> If people have to queue for a long time to buy a

> ticket and miss trains as a result it is not

> supportive of honest passengers (who are punished

> with lateness for actually trying to buy a ticket)

> and just encourages dishonest passengers. Cynics

> might even be tempted to think that not making it

> easy to buy a ticket but making it easy to be

> caught if you don't is a revenue enhancing

> technique.

[Penguin68]

Cynics might even be tempted to think that not making it easy to buy a ticket but making it easy to be caught if you don't is a revenue enhancing technique.

While the cost difference to the travelling passenger between the normal and penalty faires is individually significant, I suspect that the overall cost of running an inspectorate and revenue enforcement force absorbs most, if not all, the difference - which probably does not make it a revenue enhancing activity. In good old QoS terms it is a 'cost of failure'. The most profitable thing for the company to do is to sell tickets normally to passengers prepared to pay - which is what Barry's people try to do, although there are times when it will not be possible to match supply with demand without massively over-providing (which has a cost)sales outlets.

Ideally on-line purchase of tickets - or adding value to such things as oyster cards, would allow a 'smoothing' of demand.

[Nero]

Once again, the barriers at Peckham Rye were not operational. What is the point of having them installed at some expense, having (too many) staff at them when they are not on? It makes no sense.

Also, do you have any remit over London Bridge platform 5 and 6? I was there this morning and it was very dirty, with cups and bags etc littering the platform. There were no bins and no staff clearing up. Not good.

[Huggers]

I think Barry and his team are good. Its the system that sometimes seems mad.

[dbboy]

I understand that the bridge between platforms 1 and 2 at Forest Hill station is to be removed and the steps have already been removed. Two questions, why and when is a new passenger bridge to be erected?

http://www.se23.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=851&pid=20723#pid20723

[m7post]

Dear Mr Jones,

Similar to some other posts - and something that you may need to work with local councilors on - that of the state of the area and pavement immediately outside of the station - the condition of this area is often very poor - lacking in cleaning - the phone boxes often filthy - graffiti all over the bike lockup boxes etc - not a good advert for ED really. Perhaps some encouragement on your part to the local councilors to work with and achieve daily cleaning or alike.

With thanks.

Martin.

[Jeremy]

How about putting some working portaloos in London Bridge at the top of platform 13/14?

[prettyflowers]

Is there any chance that we will be getting the paper recycling bins that we were supposed to get at ED station?

[teddyt]

Hi Barry,

First off, well done for being so public spirited and running this very useful thread.

My only (small) gripe is the lack of fast services to and from East Dulwich and Peckham Rye. The number of passengers that use South Bermondsey is negligible compared to East Dulwich and Peckham Rye, yet just about every train, every day, stops there - as if it's the most important stop in south London. And they get Victoria trains to boost frequency, too.

Is it not possible to have just one or two fast trains that zoom straight to East D or Peckham Rye during peak hours?

Is this something you can raise with someone? I don't know - the Controller of Where Trains Stop - or whoever?

Anyway, again, top stuff, Barry

[the-e-dealer]

From Where?

[Mark]

Hi Barry

Lovin' your work. When the Pre-pay Oyster cards are allowed to be used at East Dulwich, do you know how much a single/return to London Bridge will be? Will there be a reduced rate as there is on the buses for using the card?

I also agree about the area outside the station being scruffy especially the graffiti, the posters ranting about the queen, tatty billboards etc but I understand if this is outside your remit.

Thanks again

[the-e-dealer]

Boris is currentley discussing very large rises in fares so I don't think he can comment!

[Jeremy]

teddyt Wrote:

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> Is it not possible to have just one or two fast

> trains that zoom straight to East D or Peckham Rye

> during peak hours?

There is - I take it every morning!

But to be honest it only takes a couple of minutes less than other trains, so in the context of a typical journey... not really significant.

[Moos]

Barry, would you be able to tell us why the 7.29 was cancelled this morning?

I appreciate that trains have to be cancelled from time to time but would be nice to understand what happened today. Was a bit unlucky, in that this is the train with the 20 minute delay before the next one, so lots of frustrated commuters this morning.

[Markjonathan]

Dear Barry,

It's really great that you do receive, comment and do what you can to act upon our feedback. Thanks a lot.

Just to add to other comments it's really frustrating to experience queues at Peckham Rye to buy a ticket. I do try and buy tickets the day before etc but it would be great if the amount of time people wait to buy tickets could be monitored. Inevitably, when there is only when sales window open will be when there is a customer in front with a complicated question. I'm law abiding otherwise there have been a number of occasions when I could have been tempted to vault the new barriers! It's a pity that we have to wait for a 'pay as you go' option to be introduced on our Oyster cards.

Mark

[Jeremy]

Moos Wrote:

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> Barry, would you be able to tell us why the 7.29

> was cancelled this morning?

>

> I appreciate that trains have to be cancelled from

> time to time but would be nice to understand what

> happened today. Was a bit unlucky, in that this

> is the train with the 20 minute delay before the

> next one, so lots of frustrated commuters this

> morning.

All the trains through ED were screwed this morning. Something to do with a fire by the track somewhere... or something like that...

[Moos]

Ah, OK - thanks Jezza. Gave me a chance to enjoy the E&C pedestrian tunnel system, at least... :-S

[teddyt]

Re fast trains:

I meant, from London Bridge... if they ever run a fast train south to east dulwich i will send champagne to Southern Headquarters. Or to Barry.

[iaineasy]

hi I find it difficult that often the ticket office is shut during the working day, as when the machine doesnt like my note which is often ,I cant get a ticket or a permit (as it tells me to go to the ticket office)to travel meaning I risk being late or missing my train or getting a fine. please can we have a full time ticket office or the permit machine working when the office is closed. most people are honest enough to pay when they have a permit and we should not be penalised for poor ticket office service if we cannot get that. Also on another occasion the machine ran out of change, and printed me a ticket to cash at my destination station which was tulse hill and when i got there that was closed too meaning I had no more money, and no way to get my change till the next day which when your skint and your change is all you have is pretty rubbish.

sorry to bother you but its rubbish, you cant eat a promisery note.

hugs

easy

[kaz@263]

Hi Barry, I've just taken my parents to East Dulwich to get the train to London Bridge. Ticket office closed, ticket machine not working (showing error message "out of tickets"), permit to travel machine not working. Pretty bad when none of the three methods of buying a ticket are not operational. Hopefully they'll find an understanding person manning the ticket barriers at London Bridge so they don't get fined!

[Blondie]

The ticket machine often shows the message "out of tickets" on a Sunday.

[ralphation]

On the topic of fares, penalty fares and stuff, I have a question.

I recently incurred a penalty fare (incorrectly) and appealed it. The Indepnedent Penalty Fare Appeals Service , to whom I appealed, completely ignored my reasoning saying that because I had signed a bit of paper at the station "procedures had been followed" and that I was liable for the penalty fare. That is to say, paperwork had been done regardless of the actual events that took place. I then complained again about this to IPFAS but to no avail.

They have decided their decision is final and have now added a ?20 "admin fee" to the initial penalty fare and passed it on to a debt collection agency. This does not seem the behaviour I would expect form a truly independent body (they would offer further ways to appeal, would not add arbitrary "admin fees" and would not pass debts on to agencies - not least because the debt is to the train company not to IPFAS) so I did some investigation.

I found out that IPFAS has its offices in Southeastern Trains HQ and is staffed by Southeastern Trains staff. On the Dept. of Transport website, it says an indenpendent appeals service must be and be seen to be independent. If what I read about IPFAS is true then it doesn't seem that it is and makes me wonder whether or not I should bother paying any of the penalty fare beyond the single fare I had tried to pay in the first place when making my joutney.

Barry, I don't want to have a go at you directly about my penalty fare problems - I realise that is not what this thread is for but is this true about IPFAS? That they are based in an SE Trains office and employ SE Trains staff?

[OutOfFocus]

Blondie Wrote:

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> The ticket machine often shows the message "out of

> tickets" on a Sunday.

And the permit to travel machine said pay at ticket office .

Can I check that in these circumsatances you can pay at destination. On one ovccasion I.managed to by a ticket from revenue staff but other peoples experience seem less helpful.

[sophiesofa]

I second what OutOfFocus has asked. My boyfriend had the same issue on sunday at East Dulwich. Because we weren't sure if Charing Cross would say we should have queued at London Bridge to get a ticket so in the end he went to the shop accross the road and got a travel card that he didn't really need. It is annoying when you leave early to make sure you have time to queue for a ticket and then there's no means of getting one and no clear instructions on what to do if you can't buy a ticket. Is there definitely no room anywhere to squeeze another ticket machine in? Thanks in advance Barry.

[Jeremy]

ralphation Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They have decided their decision is final and have

> now added a ?20 "admin fee" to the initial penalty

> fare and passed it on to a debt collection agency.

This is disgusting. It's as bad as - maybe even worse than - parking fines.

I hope you are going to stand your ground and refuse to pay the admin fee, as well as continuing to contest the original fine.