After several years of going to matches by train I've noticed a third Oyster point on the London bound platform. It's hidden to the left of the coffee hut which is to the left of the match day exit.
There’s a real bottleneck at the Oyster card readers before and after the game. I know it’s not a big station, but must be worth putting up barriers - even that must be quicker than waiting for a slow oyster reader in which it’s a bit of a free for all.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
Yes you can, but that would be an even greater faff and you might forget.
I'm sure when I was a young supporter who used the train that there were football specials. Or did I dream it? I think I recall empty trains which went straight to London Bridge.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
Yes you can, but that would be an even greater faff and you might forget.
You don’t have to do it instantly; and I’m sure the £7 fare on your bank account is a good reminder. Plus TfL will flag to you when you log in.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
Yes you can, but that would be an even greater faff and you might forget.
You don’t have to do it instantly; and I’m sure the £7 fare on your bank account is a good reminder. Plus TfL will flag to you when you log in.
Yes I’ve done it before when I’ve been unable to tap due to machine not working, but I daresay most don’t check their bank account and log into their tfl account often.
It’s also harsh to expect away fans from Leicester to know that they can do that, this stuff doesn’t just affect Charlton fans. It’s been a problem for years and away fans often don’t realise why the gates are closed and pushing/frustration starts
It’s also harsh to expect away fans from Leicester to know that they can do that, this stuff doesn’t just affect Charlton fans. It’s been a problem for years and away fans often don’t realise why the gates are closed and pushing/frustration starts
It is a problem that the rail company needs to sort as a matter of urgency. I mean, by the next home game. I don't think this is unreasonable.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
It’s just as easy to buy tickets online, then you don’t have to tap in or out at all at Charlton.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
It’s just as easy to buy tickets online, then you don’t have to tap in or out at all at Charlton.
Not if you use Oyster, your debit card or phone, which is the usual way of paying for travel these days.
There need to be more oyster readers, on both sides. A full train load of fans heading into Charlton before the match might not have cleared the platform by the time the next one arrives.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
It’s just as easy to buy tickets online, then you don’t have to tap in or out at all at Charlton.
Not if you use Oyster, your debit card or phone, which is the usual way of paying for travel these days.
If we are talking about travelling to/from Charlton for matches then I disagree. Previously we used debit cards so have a few years of experience. Purchasing tickets with the Southeastern app is surprisingly quick. We then add them to Google Wallet (or whatever it’s called this week). We ‘scan’ in and out at Dartford but walk straight through at Charlton. Much more convenient for us and our travel arrangements.
As an old git with a freedom pass I don't tap in at Charlton, it's never been a problem.
Normally I would. However, whenever I have been on public transport and inspectors have got on the vehicle, they have just ignored me once they see the card.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
It’s just as easy to buy tickets online, then you don’t have to tap in or out at all at Charlton.
Not if you use Oyster, your debit card or phone, which is the usual way of paying for travel these days.
If we are talking about travelling to/from Charlton for matches then I disagree. Previously we used debit cards so have a few years of experience. Purchasing tickets with the Southeastern app is surprisingly quick. We then add them to Google Wallet (or whatever it’s called this week). We ‘scan’ in and out at Dartford but walk straight through at Charlton. Much more convenient for us and our travel arrangements.
I had thought tfl fares, I.e. from zone 5 or 6, or across central London, to charlton was cheaper than a Southeastern ticket, as the Mayor subsidises fares for London residents, hence lose out financially by using a rail company app, and not tapping in and out.
Unless you have to rush home. Safest outcome is probably have a few in the Rose of Denmark after a game.
Relax and walk slow to the pub. By the time you're done, the station will have reduced density of crowds.
That's certainly what I'll be doing.
Win/lose/draw I don't want to have to be in crowds at the station. It can be dangerous on occasions.
That doesn't help fans who need to reach London quickly for a further train home. Heading to the pub for a few more drinks isn't the answer for most people.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
It’s just as easy to buy tickets online, then you don’t have to tap in or out at all at Charlton.
Not if you use Oyster, your debit card or phone, which is the usual way of paying for travel these days.
If we are talking about travelling to/from Charlton for matches then I disagree. Previously we used debit cards so have a few years of experience. Purchasing tickets with the Southeastern app is surprisingly quick. We then add them to Google Wallet (or whatever it’s called this week). We ‘scan’ in and out at Dartford but walk straight through at Charlton. Much more convenient for us and our travel arrangements.
Not for people going the other way though, which is the busier side, especially as it has the away fans.
To my surprise yesterday, guards were walking through the train checking tickets on the 2.35 out of Charlton after the game. First time I have had my ticket checked on the journey to and from Waterloo East and Charlton for about 10 years or more!
Am I crazy or did they open an extra gate on the London bound platform yesterday? Also noticed they finally started using the tannoy system too for once.
The lighting on the station approach is appalling. The crush is dangerous. The bollock pole can be painful. The entrance is too narrow with the ticket machines very badly placed. Nobody gives out any information and the gates are closed too early. At both Charlton and Blackheath stations the London bound trains stop too far down the platform. The staff regard us as scum. The train times are not related to when matches finish. The Lewisham train is either an unrealistic five past or 35 past.
You don’t need to touch in or out at Charlton, get a TfL on line account and you can tidy up the journey after the event and get refunded the difference
It’s just as easy to buy tickets online, then you don’t have to tap in or out at all at Charlton.
Not if you use Oyster, your debit card or phone, which is the usual way of paying for travel these days.
If we are talking about travelling to/from Charlton for matches then I disagree. Previously we used debit cards so have a few years of experience. Purchasing tickets with the Southeastern app is surprisingly quick. We then add them to Google Wallet (or whatever it’s called this week). We ‘scan’ in and out at Dartford but walk straight through at Charlton. Much more convenient for us and our travel arrangements.
I had thought tfl fares, I.e. from zone 5 or 6, or across central London, to charlton was cheaper than a Southeastern ticket, as the Mayor subsidises fares for London residents, hence lose out financially by using a rail company app, and not tapping in and out.
I did say “… our travel arrangements” but anyway, according to the tfl app, a single from Dartford to Charlton is 3.70 so 7.40 return. My Southeastern fare, having removed the railcard discount, is 7.35 so roughly the same.
And why run all trains into Cannon Street rather than Charing Cross via Waterloo? The City is empty, most places closed, and the drain doesn't run at weekends. It puts 15/20 minutes on a journey with a forced change at LB.
That change happened as part of the massive London Bridge rebuild. To improve capacity, they didn't want trains from Greenwich crossing over the tracks outside London Bridge to reach the platforms to Charing Cross.
So since I started attending the Valley 50+ years ago, technology has advanced tenfold but service has regressed.
£1bn to rebuild LB station and they can't sort simple stuff like this? I'm not a railway engineer but how about points BEFORE the station to put the train on the right line for Waterloo? And I could run faster than a train from LB to WE.
I'm sure when I was a young supporter who used the train that there were football specials. Or did I dream it? I think I recall empty trains which went straight to London Bridge.
There used to be a siding east of the station which was built in the 1930s for exactly that purpose. Away teams also had specials to Charlton - I remember Stoke had one for the league cup game in 1978-ish.
And why run all trains into Cannon Street rather than Charing Cross via Waterloo? The City is empty, most places closed, and the drain doesn't run at weekends. It puts 15/20 minutes on a journey with a forced change at LB.
That change happened as part of the massive London Bridge rebuild. To improve capacity, they didn't want trains from Greenwich crossing over the tracks outside London Bridge to reach the platforms to Charing Cross.
So since I started attending the Valley 50+ years ago, technology has advanced tenfold but service has regressed.
£1bn to rebuild LB station and they can't sort simple stuff like this? I'm not a railway engineer but how about points BEFORE the station to put the train on the right line for Waterloo? And I could run faster than a train from LB to WE.
Bat tunnel crazy!
Amazing that all of the architects, engineers and planners, likely experts in the field of rail and transport solutions, didn’t consider such a simple change superbly articulated by a bloke on a football club forum.
I think you underplay your hand when you state “I’m not a railway engineer”.
Comments
Relax and walk slow to the pub. By the time you're done, the station will have reduced density of crowds.
That's certainly what I'll be doing.
Win/lose/draw I don't want to have to be in crowds at the station. It can be dangerous on occasions.
Normally I would. However, whenever I have been on public transport and inspectors have got on the vehicle, they have just ignored me once they see the card.
First time I have had my ticket checked on the journey to and from Waterloo East and Charlton for about 10 years or more!
£1bn to rebuild LB station and they can't sort simple stuff like this? I'm not a railway engineer but how about points BEFORE the station to put the train on the right line for Waterloo? And I could run faster than a train from LB to WE.
Bat tunnel crazy!
OK I know hypotenuse triangles, but poetic licence.
I think you underplay your hand when you state “I’m not a railway engineer”.