National Express publicly ban spotters
 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...s-1646517.html

:mad:

'Bespectacled brethren in their anoraks,' 'spiral back notebooks,' 'sandwiches in polythene bags,' - no stereotypes there, then!

It seems this is what happens when a bus opperator trys to run a railway!

This is not the correct way to treat railway enthusiasts, we spend hundreds of thousands of pound travelling on their trains, we are unpaid security guards for them and now this, all I can say is that this country is going from bad to worse.

COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT ANY BETTER
P.S. ARE YOU WORKING MUCH DX AT ALL ???

I listen a lot to 20 40 and 80 and have a natter when conditions allow, all the best.

YES ALL COPY ON THAT OLD MAN [ HI] I'M M3INO AND IF YOU LOOK ME
UP ON QRZ.COM YOU WILL SEE ALL MY DETAILS 73 DE M3INO

HOW can they claim that Trainspotters are a security risk, when the Bombers looked NOTHING like GENUINE trainspotters? Come to that, what DOES some security risk actually look like in these Self-Opinionated so-called Experts opinions?

Where I do agree with the company is that something does need to be done to stop people travelling without tickets but I don't think this is it.

Things have improved a bit but there are still plenty of occasions when tickets on trains are not checked. Even when they are, conductors passing swiftly through the train asking "Tickets from.......?" means that those without tickets just lie low in their book avoiding eye contact with the conductor and getting away with it.

I can't see the day when all stations will be gated so effective checks on trains are essential. More travelling inspectors would help and wuld soon more than pay for themselves.

You would think the rail companies would welcome all the friends they could get. does anybody really know what a terrorist looks like?
Richard

this is a non story surely.

Indeed!

There's a lot of discussion about this and the problem with barriers on platforms / platform tickets in The Railway Magazine. I read in the letters page that one person was refused entry to the platform because 'they don't want your sort here', but the classic response to a daughter who wanted to collect her mother from the train and asked if she could go through the barrier to get her from the train being ....'Is she a cripple?' - I would have gone through the roof!!! :eek:

This article seems to be waffling all over the place, they are not sticking with the main issue.

NX are clearly saying that they will not let anyone on the platforms unless they have a ticket to travel, to stop faredodgers. In some respects fair enough. Let one or two people on to the platform to watch the trains and photograph, let a hundred on that might get onboard and hide in the toilets and avoid paying the fare.

The most important issue here is this 'security risk' rubbish, when will these people learn common sense, surely anyone who is a threat will be trying to 'hide' what they are doing, and most photographers will not since they want good photographs.

I was interviewed by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire about my opinion of this yesterday afternoon and it is being broadcast this morning (Thursday) on the Andie Harper Show between 09.00 and 12.30..

I read this story the other day and found it baffling.

It started off suggesting trainspotting was now illegal in the headline, went on to say National Express would ban spotters at a handful of stations, then NE went on to say the story was nonsense at the end, except perhaps the concept of getting a "platform ticket" and "enthusiasts are welcome" - which is basically making a mountain out of a molehill?

I don't think NXEC are the most enthusiast friendly company though. They tried with Tornado, but ended up shooting themselves in the foot by trying to ban spotters when it arrived at one of their stations! They then backtracked quite quickly when they realised that everyone and the local vicar was going to crucify them for it.

I think they're just repeating history.

Madness.