Do you think penalties are just the ticket? Your views on Northern penalty fines on routes across the North West

Penalty fines have been introduced by Northern on several new routes across the North West to stop people travelling without a ticket.
Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail

The penalties, which will be £20 fines or double the cost of a single fare (whichever is the greater), are now being enforced at destination stations by Northern’s authorised collectors .

Penalty fares have been in place across the UK rail network for many years and were introduced to Northern’s routes earlier this year with a trial in West Yorkshire.

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Blackpool routes to Liverpool via Preston, Wigan and St Helens are part of the new clampdown.

Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail

Here are your thoughts

It might be a good idea for the guards to make efforts to take fares on the trains. I have lost count of the number of times I have travelled when the guard has not shown his face.

I object to being made to queue on a platform to buy a ticket when I have been sat on a train for a half hour or longer.

Alan Spencer

Queues at Blackpool North train stationQueues at Blackpool North train station
Queues at Blackpool North train station

They seem to assume that if you go to a station with gates (Blackpool north, Preston etc) you have to pay and completely forget about how easy it is to hop on and off at all the smaller stations along the way.

John Whitehouse

To be honest I’m shocked this is not in place already.

It’s been the case where I live for over 20 years.

Your views on Northern penalty fines on routes across the North WestYour views on Northern penalty fines on routes across the North West
Your views on Northern penalty fines on routes across the North West

Simple remedy to not paying the fines. Buy a ticket.

Garry Snowdon

My local station does not have a ticket machine.

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Most of my journeys are on the busy morning train so this happens fairly often.

Will Howarth

I bought a return ticket last Saturday from Poulton.

When I came to return there was no trains I had to get a taxi home costing £45.

Adam Cardwell

If they ran a remotely acceptable service first it would be a start, lost count of the amount of times plans have had to be completely changed due to cancellations/delays.

Gets expensive when you add in the admin fee they want in order to refund a ticket for a service they didn’t provide.

Jackie Booth

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Can we also have fines for late and cancelled trains? You could pay people by BACS.

Claire Louise Francis

Stop locking passengers out from the platforms at Blackpool North then.

It’s very annoying and doesn’t happen in many other end of line stations.

I get annoyed every time I’m at Blackpool North station.

Dylan Drake

Their service has been a farce for way too long yet. Transpennine Express seem to be more trustworthy.

I’m fed up of delays, no shows and cancellations.

Karl Lee

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I bought a train season ticket last year Kirkham to Manchester. Spent seven months sat on a bus.

Sharon Cooper

I went to Euston and back last week, changing at Preston and Crewe, my tickets weren’t checked once.

Joe Codling

It might be an idea to open ticket offices and have machines that work first.

Shane Adrian Gould