Train station ticket machines 'are confusing and poor value'

Ticket machines at mainline London rail stations don’t give value for money or proper service, an investigation reveals today.

They are difficult to use and passengers risk being slapped with a hefty fine because they have the wrong ticket, through no fault of their own.

Which? consumer magazine tested machines at 11 stations and none offered as good or as wide a service as that available at staffed ticket offices, it said.

Using the machines is also the least popular way of buying a ticket, with just 15 per cent of passengers preferring them. All the machines tested either didn’t sell tickets on the day before travel, or restricted the time when people could purchase.

Information buttons and on-screen menus were found to be “confusing” — meaning passengers couldn’t easily compare fares or understand the terms and conditions of the ticket, and putting them being at risk of being fined by a ticket inspector.

The machines were at St Pancras, Euston, Marylebone, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo, Charing Cross, London Bridge, Fenchurch Street, Liverpool Street and King’s Cross. Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd said: “Ticket office hours are being cut, often leaving people with little choice but to use a machine. We are calling on the train companies to update their machines and make it crystal clear how, when and where tickets can be used.”

Which? found big discrepancies in availability of “next-day tickets”. First Capital Connect sells them from noon but only for peak time, while East Midlands, London Midland and South West Trains sell them from 3pm. East Coast and Virgin Trains sell them from 4pm, as does Southeastern, except on Fridays or Saturdays when they are not available at all.

Greater Anglia only sells tickets for same-day travel. Only the Southern Railway machine at Victoria sold tickets for travel from other stations. Pressing the information button at Victoria for a trip to Southampton prompted a confusing “restrictions apply, please enquire” message, Which? found, while the information button on the East Midlands machine at St Pancras revealed nothing about which services a ticket to Derby was valid for — bringing the risk of a fine if the buyer took the wrong train.

Two tickets were offered from London Bridge to Brighton — at £25.20 and £15.90 — but it wasn’t easy to compare the prices or which services they were valid for, and the more expensive option was presented first.

The Association of Train Operating Companies said: “Which? surveyed just 16 out of over 2,600 ticket machines nationally. Over the last five years, the number of tickets bought from machines has almost doubled to one in five sold. Many passengers find them a quick, convenient way to buy tickets and we are always looking to improve the service.”