Brockenhurst RPIs

[Oracle]

The RPIs were in force this morning at Brockenhurst to catch the new students from Bournemouth direction...and a few from Lymington. Had a quick chat..by 10.30 they had caught 42 who had not got their seasons and issued Penalty Fares. On Tuesday they had more staff so blitzed the Lymington and Down platforms as well and caught some idiots.

The question arises as to whether how many deliberately try it on and see if they can travel for zilch and those who genuinely forget their Edu seasons?
I have to say a) the RPIs were extremely courteous and b) did say that all the students were 'behaved'.

All I can say is that the guys' appearance and demeanour was a credit to the company.

 

[swt_passenger]

...by 10.30 they had caught 42 who had not got their seasons and issued Penalty Fares.

The question arises as to whether how many deliberately try it on and see if they can travel for zilch...

Probably 42...

 

[island]

Indeed. Anyone who has genuinely forgotten their season can in any case have the PF quashed once or twice a year.

 

[Oracle]

I can imagine that as it is early in the new term that there are students that have delayed getting their new seasons.

I am amazed at the number of students that come up from the Bournemouth direction...two trains' worth arrive apparently and I was told that the guards physically can't get round the trains to check tickets.

 

[bb21]

I can imagine that as it is early in the new term that there are students that have delayed getting their new seasons.

I am amazed at the number of students that come up from the Bournemouth direction...two trains' worth arrive apparently and I was told that the guards physically can't get round the trains to check tickets.

I would imagine many come from New Milton as that's a large settlement and is part of Hampshire.

Many kids from within Dorset also go to Brockenhurst College.

 

[southerner2174]

Reminds me of the morning working a Southern 319 to Guildford, all the schoolchildren getting on at Ashtead, Leatherhead and Bookham travelling to London Road, most of them in the front 2 coaches knowing i wouldnt reach them by the time I had to return to the cab for the doors at London Road.

SWT RPI's had a block on at Bookham and about 5 asked if I minded them going through the train on their way back to Guildford, I told them there more than welcome, saw them at guildford and they had a good 10-15 penalty fares notices issued!!!

Shame it wasn't a regular occurance

 

[BestWestern]

It's good to hear of some RPI action in the New Forest. I travel So'ton - B'mouth/Poole regularly, and it's very obviously a weak spot in SWT's revenue collection. I generally don't encounter a Guard the whole way, and there are many stations which need barriers but don't have them. Poole in particular comes to mind, and further up the road Weymouth. I'd imagine there's an awful lot of ticketles travelling going on round those parts.

 

[wintonian]

I would imagine many come from New Milton as that's a large settlement and is part of Hampshire.

I can vouch for this as someone who used to live in New Milton and went to Brock College, after college chucked out at 16:20 it was standing room only on the next 442 towards Bournemouth.

If I remember correctly they used to do a block 2 or 3 times a year for 2 or 3 days at a time.

 

[trc666]

They used to do quite a lot of blocks in the mornings at Brockenhurst as well as New Milton a few years back but don't think they're there as often now, quite a few students get on at Bournemouth which now has ticket gates.

I'm glad the demeanour of the RP staff has changed for the better, as I know from experience in the past (especially in 2004) they used to be quite heavy handed and at least once or twice got physical with a couple of students, including me once despite having a valid ticket, one RPI didn't check it properly as I walked past and instead of calling me to come back so he could check it again got another RPI to grab hold of me and try and get my details! Made him look a right idiot when he checked my ticket again to find it was perfectly valid - was a Standard (now Anytime) Day Return from Bournemouth to Brockenhurst :P

 

[thefab444]

From my experience over the last two years blocks were still fairly common on platform 1 and 2 in the mornings. They were far less common on the other side though, although as was mentioned the majority of traffic comes from New Milton and Bournemouth rather than the New Forest and Southampton. Certainly, the 16:28 departure to Poole could be quite "interesting"!

They also occasionally do blocks in the afternoon, including once where they attempted to block the stairs at the bottom of the footbridge by the ticket office, yet had nobody covering the back entrance from the down side carpark.

 

[Oracle]

Tuesday they did have enough bodies to cover P3/P4 apparently...there are a number of pax that come up from Lymington and try to do so for free.

 

[trc666]

You do get that a lot, I very rarely saw the guard come round when the 421s were still doing the branch, it used to be the case that most people would buy their ticket on the train if the ticket machine wasn't working at Lymington Town and the ticket office was closed.

From past experience, there were sometimes total blocks of Brockenhurst in the morning peak - 2x RPA/RPI on each entrance, platform 3/4 footbridge, platform 1/2 footbridge and the platform 1 lugguage traverser.

On a side note - is that lugguage traverser unique on the NR network? I understand it's also interlocked with the signalling.

 

[thefab444]

On a side note - is that lugguage traverser unique on the NR network? I understand it's also interlocked with the signalling.

I've not seen anything like it elsewhere. It can only be swung into use when there is not a train in platform 1, even if the train is parked well clear of the traverser. Nowadays, it generally only gets used for occasional disabled passengers and to deliver supplies to the shop on platform 2. I suppose it may be deployed to help in the morning peak as nothing uses platform 1 between 0616 and 0852.

Good to see quite a few ex-college people (Brockers?) on here.

 

[wintonian]

I've not seen anything like it elsewhere. It can only be swung into use when there is not a train in platform 1, even if the train is parked well clear of the traverser. Nowadays, it generally only gets used for occasional disabled passengers and to deliver supplies to the shop on platform 2. I suppose it may be deployed to help in the morning peak as nothing uses platform 1 between 0616 and 0852.

Good to see quite a few ex-college people (Brockers?) on here.

It used to be used sometimes in the morning to help prevent lots of students queing at the bottom of the stairs.