Sevenoaks’ new ticket queue barriers: unnecessary, inconvenient and wasteful
A couple of weeks ago some new barriers were installed to control the queue to use the ticket machines on the Town side of Sevenoaks station.
We think that these are unnecessary, obstructive and wasteful. There’s rarely a queue for the ticket machines. Even when there is, Sevenoaks rail passengers can be trusted to form an orderly queue themselves.
We understand that the barriers were installed along with the seating under the National Stations Improvement scheme (NSIP) with funding from network rail and the DfT rather than Southeastern. They were installed “because of concern about morning queuing.”
We actually consider that queuing is more of a problem on the Kippington side – where at busy times the queue extends down the stairs. That is because on that side there is just one ticket machine and there is no manned ticket window either. We have long pressed for one of the five Town-side machines to be moved to the Kippington side.
We have been told that moving a ticket machine would cost £3,500 and so could not be afforded. We think that buying and installing the new barriers (which took the best part of two days) must have cost nearly that much – with much less value to passengers.
Oddly some passengers seem to have been told by station staff that the Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association asked for the new barriers. It wasn’t our idea! – in fact we were not even consulted!
@dmontfort Sevenoaks ticket queue barriers? I’ve checked with each Ctte member. No one suggested it, no one even consulted. /cc @Se_Railway
— Sevenoaks Rail TA (@SevenoaksRailTA) September 24, 2014
Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding ….
Building this maze was a crazy idea !
The sole Ticket Vending Machine on the Kippington side can be desperately slow, and a massive queue often builds up.
You can’t even walk through to the main concourse without risking a penalty fare, so at busy times it’s all too easy to miss a couple of trains, especially if stuck behind an infrequent user who is finding the TVM’s clunky procedure unhelpful and confusing.
Southeastern have a duty to ensure that identifying and buying the most suitable ticket is always quick and easy, but this is yet another area in which they continue to fail miserably.
Read that statement very carefully – it says the barriers were installed “following” – i.e. chronologically subsequent to – a meeting with SRTA. It doesn’t actually claim that the installation was discussed at the meeting. So it’s factually correct. Doubtless intended to deceive, but nevertheless factually correct.
This sort of cleverly worded statement is unfortunately all to common.