Honor Oak Park Rail Station
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jon14
Posts: 145
Joined: Sep 2007
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25-09-2008 02:42 PM
Surely difficult to blame therailway company if out of action due to criminal action.
I am sure they will repair as soon as possible.
I know what you mean Brian but 12 weeks isn't as soon as possible - it's when they get round to it. It's not particularly their fault, but it's not ours either!
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michael
Posts: 3,261
Joined: Mar 2005
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25-09-2008 03:19 PM
Southern Railway's next Meet the Manager opportunity is at London Bridge on 9th October at 7:30am-9:30am. Please take a moment to tell them the issue face to face and comment on their inability to respond to your emails.
Of course I hope there is a new ticket machine by then.
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CBRoad
Posts: 17
Joined: Dec 2007
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25-09-2008 04:12 PM
Just had a reply??
Thank you for your Email.
I understand your frustration and have every sympathy for the customers and staff at Honor Oak Par, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.
The ticket machine at the station is one of many across our network that have been vandalised recently and we are trying to get them fixed as soon as humanly possible at the moment I have no time frame for Honor Oak Park but please rest assured that we understand the urgency and endeavour to have to running in the next few weeks.
Thank you for taking the time to contact Southern
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jon14
Posts: 145
Joined: Sep 2007
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25-09-2008 04:54 PM
Just had a reply??
Thank you for your Email.
I understand your frustration and have every sympathy for the customers and staff at Honor Oak Par, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.
The ticket machine at the station is one of many across our network that have been vandalised recently and we are trying to get them fixed as soon as humanly possible at the moment I have no time frame for Honor Oak Park but please rest assured that we understand the urgency and endeavour to have to running in the next few weeks.
Thank you for taking the time to contact Southern
This sounds about as genuine as the machine who says 'I am sorry to announce that the 08:31 Southern service from this station has been cancelled - and please don't try and squeeze on the 08:45 when that comes in packed with people from Forest Hill either'.
'as fast as humanly possible' - do they really mean that? Think it would be fixed by now if they did. The problem only occurs becuase they have 1 machine when there is space for about 21!
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Theotherbrian
Posts: 95
Joined: Mar 2005
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25-09-2008 06:56 PM
Although vandalism is no fault of Southern, not opening the ticket office during the advertised times is. I was going into Charing Cross at 18.45 yesterday and although there were 6 or so ticket inspectors, the ticket office was closed. I had to get a permit to travel and use it towards a ticket at Charing Cross. This added to my journey time. The inspectors at HOP thought it a great hoot that there was nowhere to buy a ticket.
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jon14
Posts: 145
Joined: Sep 2007
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25-09-2008 08:13 PM
Well the machine has gone now, so let's hope it comes back soon!
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jeh
Posts: 16
Joined: Nov 2007
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25-09-2008 08:19 PM
I also had a response after emailing -
"Your words regarding Honor Oak Park station on are not lost on us we have every sympathy with the passengers and members of staff who are put under pressure and stress due to ticket machines being out of action.
At present I have no date when the machine will be up and running. We have had a series of vandalism attacks across the network over the last couple of months and almost all have been on our quick ticket machines. Please let me assure you that we are aware of the urgency of getting these machines working again and every effort is being taken to get them repaired.
We are hoping that Honor Oak park will be running as normal in the next couple of weeks.
Thank you for your continued patience and taking the time to contact us"
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showtunesgirl
Posts: 203
Joined: Feb 2008
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26-09-2008 10:45 AM
I understand that the ticket machine being vandalised is not their fault but the ticket office not being open AND the Permit to Travel machine not working at the same time IS their fault!
I have no idea why they display a sign outside the station saying when the ticket office will be open as it's a complete work of fiction. I can't ever remember the ticket office being open at 8pm on a weekday and I've lived in HOP for about ten years!
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Gabriel
Posts: 9
Joined: Jul 2007
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26-09-2008 10:47 AM
Showtunes, you are so right. Another thing we need to talk to Chris Daly with on Monday!
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jon14
Posts: 145
Joined: Sep 2007
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15-10-2008 11:04 AM
If this replacement service is 'as fast as humanly possible' I dread to think what 'normal' might be...!
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Tinkerbell
Posts: 361
Joined: Dec 2007
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15-10-2008 12:18 PM
I asked the guy in the ticket office a few days ago and he said Southern had told him it would be around another 6 weeks before a new one goes in. Let's just hope he's not right.
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Sherwood
Posts: 1,414
Joined: Mar 2005
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15-10-2008 08:36 PM
They seem to have lots of ticket machines at Forest Hill.
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barty
Posts: 19
Joined: Jul 2008
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19-10-2008 10:07 AM
Good to see another "Let's slag off Southern" thread......
Yes it is inconvenient when you have to buy a permit to travel and pay at the other end. Yes it is inconvenient when you know there's gonna be a queue, so you must arrive a little bit earlier at the station to buy your ticket and catch your train in good time.
But don't blame Southern. Blame the ******** who vandalised the ticket machine.
And next time you buy a ticket from that machine, look around. There will be a cctv camera monitoring you and it. Southern actually are trying to stop this happening.
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Tinkerbell
Posts: 361
Joined: Dec 2007
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19-10-2008 11:24 AM
Umm, would have loved to buy a permit. Only that machine was...you've guessed it, out of order as well. And the ticket office shut of course. So had to interrupt my journey at London Bridge to queue at the little ticket office and buy my travel card there. Luckily, upon mentioning the three magic words "Honor Oak Park", the staff member there had a knowing smile on his face, which at least made me feel less like a criminal having to purchase my travel card en route. By that time of course the train I meant to catch from London Bridge had left, adding another 20 minutes to the journey.
I am getting increasingly frustrated at the pathethic excuses of a train company unable to provide functioning stations and trains I can actually get on in the morning, whilst fares continue to go up. And don't get me started on the completely inadequate "information management" on train cancellations and weekend engineering works.
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CBRoad
Posts: 17
Joined: Dec 2007
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20-10-2008 10:51 AM
I agree that the person who vandalised the machine is ultimately to blame but I?m afraid I also agree with Tinkerbell. In order to avoid the queue on Monday morning I often go to the station on Sunday to buy my ticket. 3 out of 4 times the ticket office has been closed. Under these circumstances I don?t even attempt to Travel from HOP on Monday morning. Instead I head to Peckham Rye Station to be greeted by 2 manned ticket booths and a fully functioning ticket machine - oh what luxury!
The reply I received from my complaint on the 25/09
?The ticket machine at the station is one of many across our network that have been vandalised recently and we are trying to get them fixed as soon as humanly possible at the moment I have no time frame for Honor Oak Park but please rest assured that we understand the urgency and endeavour to have to running in the next few weeks.?
Hmmmmm, don?t seem to be trying too hard do they
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Perryman
Posts: 822
Joined: Dec 2006
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21-10-2008 10:04 PM
when forest hill station was very busy, they employed a chap with a hand held ticket machine to help reduce queues.
Not sure if he did weekly passes, but surely that would help.
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Theotherbrian
Posts: 95
Joined: Mar 2005
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22-10-2008 07:16 PM
This evening about 18.40, I went down to HOP to catch a train to Charing Cross, only to be met with a non-operative Permit to Travel machine and a closed ticket office. Even though the advertised times suggest the ticket office is open until 20.00, it never is. I suspect that it was "unofficially" closed as although the outer shutter was up, the blind was down and the light on. Needless to say knocking on the window had no effect. We all accept that the vandalism that caused the machine to be removed was out of Southern's control but surely ensuring that the ticket office is open when advertised is a basic service even a privatised train company should be capable of providing. I wonder, if they cannot be bothered to do this, why do they hold the franchise? Might it to be something to do with tax payers' money rather than the boring and troublesome task of providing what they are being paid to provide?
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BarCar
Posts: 294
Joined: Nov 2007
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27-10-2008 04:43 PM
A new ticket machine was installed at HOP station today but it doesn't look like it's operational yet.
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Tinkerbell
Posts: 361
Joined: Dec 2007
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27-10-2008 06:24 PM
Wow. I feel like breaking into song.
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kipya
Posts: 64
Joined: Feb 2008
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28-10-2008 11:54 PM
Wow. I feel like breaking into song.
I feel like breaking something, but not into song. It took over 10 minutes to buy a ticket this morning, just missed a train as a result, the one after was delayed. So 30 minutes after arriving at HOP station I got on a train.
It took 1hr 10 min to complete my journey to work at Waterloo - 6 miles in over an hour. Bring back the horse and cart.
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