TPE To Introduce A Penalty Fares Scheme

TransPennine Express are introducing a Penalty Fare scheme which covers their whole network (except Scotland). The scheme will launch on 2 February 2020.

Where ticketing facilities are available, customers are expected to buy their ticket before boarding the train. If you do not buy your ticket before you travel, you could be issued with a Penalty Fare.

Those who board a train without a valid ticket will have to pay either £20, or twice the cost of the full single fare for their journey – whichever is greater.

No-one endorses fare dodging but it is incumbent on TPE to ensure that adequate ticket purchasing arrangements are available at stations and that passengers who through no fault of their own are unable to purchase tickets before boarding are not penalised.

At Marsden, the only ticket machine is on the (unused) platform 3, there is no signage on either of the operational platforms to tell passengers where the ticket machine is and how to get to it.

It is not reasonable to expect passengers (especially those unfamiliar with the station) to guess where the machine is, exit the station, walk 100 yards along the road to enter the unused part of the station, use the ticket machine and then exit the station again in order to walk back to the platform they just came from.

SMART has therefore asked TPE not to apply it to passengers starting their journeys at Marsden. Whether they will take any notice remains to be seen.

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