All Southeastern services, they were irregular before covid but are almost non existent now.
Quite the opposite. I travel regularly on Southeastern metro and mainline services and tickets are checked about half the time on-board mainline. During COVID there were very few checks.
Definately agree with this..I've had my ticket checked on Southeastern once....they seem to have a tendency to blockade stations instead
They especially like places like Sevenoaks and Greenhithe where potting passengers who try touching out their Oyster cards is a ready earner.
Eurorail/interrail etc passes use a different bar code to UK tickets, so will not work on UK ticket barriers.
They work perfectly well if the ticket barrier has been programmed properly, which is a big "if".
I've often been through Tonbridge and the ticket gates are left open and unattended, same at Tunbridge Wells. There is a ticket machine at Wye. I think the whole Southeastern network is ripe for fare evasion.
Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells have times during peak that the barriers are opened up to avoid safety issues with masses of grammar school kids coming through.
They used to have some handwritten paper tickets decades ago. But those are long gone. They are all printed with proper printers. Some heritage railways still use handwritten tickets if you buy onboard. But on our main railway network those have not been used for decades.
Miseryrail inspectors were still using paper ticket pads in the mid-10s.
The DLR stops every 60 seconds or so, just one crew member, yet the full train gets checked on most trips, as the train conductor can key on at any door to a simple control panel. One does wonder why this approach never seems to get replicated on the main railway, and why the few control panels that are provided are so complex in comparison.
As a regular DLR user I can assure you that the full train does not get checked on most or even very many trips. Most CSRs don't bother, and quite a lot of them still try to spend most of the journey in the "driving" position at the front.
Although isn't there normally a revenue block at St Ives during the summer months, both for revenue and to ensure the platform doesn't get too overcrowded?
Although maybe one for
@RPI ?
Tired of banging my head against a wall with that part of the world I'm afraid, not wanting to delve to much into the internal politics but some depots are managed better than others. Take from that what you will!
I don't work for the railway so don't mind pointing fingers and saying Penzance depot is very much a law unto itself.