The letter below appeared in Thursday, March 19 issue of The Guardian newspaper.
Irish Rail is at present in the process of installng these barriers at Heuston Station.
German Rail is clearly Europe's leading railway company and these barriers are at no mainline station on the German network. The now defunct DR, the railway comapny of the former GDR, had similar barriers at Berlin. The railway company was clapped out as were its barriers!
Why is it that Irish Rail so often takes as its template so many practices and systems from the UK railway infrastructure?
How will the barriers handle passes, yearly, monthly free, etc?
And the government's weapon of choice is the 'automatic' ticket barrier, backed by a mythology about the extent and nature of uncollected revenue, and a misplaced belief in their effectiveness at addressing it. As a consultant with a long experience of this subject I know the '5% of revenue' reported has no basis in reliable statistical fact, while this equipment, designed for the underground, is not adequately supported by the ticketing technology. Outside the London commuter area it struggles to function properly; try the gates in Leeds or Manchester and any ticket will do. As for the alleged public support, ask the people of Sheffield or York, where there are vigorous campaigns opposing their installation, or anyone stressed by unfamiliarity with the system or encumbered by luggage.
Richard Malins,
London.
Irish Rail is at present in the process of installng these barriers at Heuston Station.
German Rail is clearly Europe's leading railway company and these barriers are at no mainline station on the German network. The now defunct DR, the railway comapny of the former GDR, had similar barriers at Berlin. The railway company was clapped out as were its barriers!
Why is it that Irish Rail so often takes as its template so many practices and systems from the UK railway infrastructure?
How will the barriers handle passes, yearly, monthly free, etc?
Ticket barrier myth
So a subsidised crackdown on fare evasion is to be the sole salvation offered to train companies stretched to meet franchise commitments (Report, 16 March).And the government's weapon of choice is the 'automatic' ticket barrier, backed by a mythology about the extent and nature of uncollected revenue, and a misplaced belief in their effectiveness at addressing it. As a consultant with a long experience of this subject I know the '5% of revenue' reported has no basis in reliable statistical fact, while this equipment, designed for the underground, is not adequately supported by the ticketing technology. Outside the London commuter area it struggles to function properly; try the gates in Leeds or Manchester and any ticket will do. As for the alleged public support, ask the people of Sheffield or York, where there are vigorous campaigns opposing their installation, or anyone stressed by unfamiliarity with the system or encumbered by luggage.
Richard Malins,
London.
2 comments:
Automatic ticket barriers do work.
Go to Hong Kong.
Also, they have ticket barriers in Spain, Italy and France.
Thank you for your comment.
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