Just for once, the problems being experienced at St Albans station seem to have nothing whatsoever to do with Thameslink or any other part of the rail industry.
As I arrive at the booking hall I can see that it's full of people. None of the automatic ticket machines are in use, there's a small crowd around two or three Thameslink revenue protection staff equipped with the portable ticket machines often used on board trains for fare dodgers, and a long queue at the ticket counters.
I have an innate and unerring talent for choosing the wrong queue and that's where I am - I can see that the queues around the revenue protection people are disappearing more quickly.
While I'm waiting several people try to go straight to a counter without queuing and are sent back by the counter staff (good for them), though I suspect that the young man that has appeared immediately behind me at my counter may get away with it and I am not going to get involved.
The problem appears to be that banks are taking much longer to authorise card payments, and I assume this means that the automatic machines are timing out before authorisation has been obtained.
The end result however is the same; I miss the 7.52 service, and am only just in time for the 7.57 which turns out to be an all stations service.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment