My memory is not real good for remembering which stations are which. I believe Munich, Florence, and Rome were doing this, but I can’t remember for sure. Most of the stations and trains did not ever check tickets.
So should we ask for an updated resume if we are robbed?[}:)][:D]
Which is what we should strive for here. The reason for this approach is because local tickets can be bought and validated on the platform via machine reducing the lines at the ticket office…if they even still exist over in Europe.
DART in Dallas is the same way so is Trinity Railway Express. Buy your tickets on the platform before you board the train, platforms are open. Amtrak platform is open due to the other platforms being open at Dallas Union Station. Kansas City Union Station the platform is closed but probably only because having people that close to a busy mainline surrounded by buildings would be dangerous. I don’t think Amtrak cares otherwise. Milwaukee platform is closed because the mainline through the station is used by CPKC at the moment. After the diversion project is completed for CPKC to avoid the Milwaukee Amtrak station at some point that might change in the future. Probably not right away though.
Cannot believe Chicago Metra collects tickets still and has all those people on the payroll. Dallas will show them the way here. Dallas rail system is growing and have not heard of any initiative to hire an army of ticket collectors or ticket sales people. Honor system works for 7 million people and growing.
I’m having trouble editing a post, so I will just correct it this way. Thinking more about this, I really don’t recall Munich’s station, so I cannot say they checked tickets there.
That’s not trespassing. Intention is a portion of the determination of trepassing when it comes to public spaces. You’re rendering assistance to a person of limited mobility, which is a valid cause to be present on the platform.
Similarly with private space, that’s why the UPS guy walking up to my door to drop a box off is not a trespasser, but a random guy sleeping in my backyard is a trespasser.
I wasn’t in München this summer, but the Berlin, Dresden, Mainz and Frankfurt stations were all open access.
Ticketing is checked on long distance and regional trains. On S-Bahn, ticket checking is random. Most people have a ticket on their Handy (phone) and on ICE trains, one can check in electronically so conductor doesn’t even need to check you.
[quote user=“Ulrich”]
Psychot
Ulrich
York1
I’m not sure I understand the problem.
At airports, only ticketed passengers enter gates. I don’t believe the guards would be too pleasant when they arrest someone entering without a ticket so he could get a good photo.
Riding trains through Europe this past summer, we found some stations that did not allow platform access without a ticket. I have no idea what the penalty would be, but it didn’t seem to be too much of a problem to have guards at the platform entry gates checking tickets.
One train had four teenage boys run through the car knocking into everybody in their way, followed by train personnel chasing them them. We assumed they didn’t have tickets.
There’s really no problem for those of us who have acquiesced…i.e. those of us who have accepted having to ask an “authority” for permission for almost everything… and for those of us who have accepted as normal public shaming and humiliation and being hauled off in a squad car into the darkness of night for not having a train ticket in hand. There’s no probem at all. The problem lies with those of us who have pushed back on that… but don’t worry… there are fewer of us every year, and we too will either acquiesce or die off, making way for the New Order.
I travel througout Europe extensively every year, and things are changing
BTW, Deutsche Bahn’s service level has really deteriorated. It seems like most of their trains run late these days (though of course not the several-hour delays Amtrak is known for). I remember looking at the big board in Frankfurt last week and something like 60% of the trains were running late. Some smarta$$ wrote “Delay Bahn” above the DB sign at a station outside Bonn, and they weren’t wrong.
My understanding is that part of the problem is insufficient capacity on many lines. With the €49 for one month unlimited rides on RE, RB and IR trains plus more travelers in general, trains are overcrowded. On ICE and IC trains, reservations are now wise. The new IC trainsets are double decked to increase capacity.
No delays on any of the trains I took in Germany recently…maybe they knew I was coming. On our way from Paris to Zurich, however, our train ran late, and the Swiss would not allow it to enter…thus we had to make alternative arrangements for the last leg to Zurich. The Swiss take punctuality very seriously…trains, trams and busses are punctual to within a minute. If you’re late you lose. Late trains from other countries are not tolerated and are barred from entry.
Are other countries turning away late Swiss trains?
I thought the EU had all the member countries operating in some semblence of how the states operate in the US - allowing passage without specific border checks.
Did they at least allow your train to go to a transfer point within Switzerland so you could transfer to a SBB train?
Austria recently banned Hungarian trains from going through to Vienna because they were running consistently late due to rehabilitation of the main line between Budapest and Gyor.
We were dropped off at a small station in France just a few KM from the French/Swiss border. From there we were rebooked on a couple of local trains that eventually got us into Zurich. It was a bit of an ordeal but nothing too terrible. The local trains were overcrowded with standing room only… I was a bit surprised that they could just cancel the last stop like that given that most passengers on board were headed for Zurich. Lots of grumbling among passengers, mostly among those who have a low tolerance for discomfort and uncertainty.
Switzerland is not in the EU… they largely play by their own rules and maintain their own currency, the Swiss Franc. But in most respects travel to and from Switzerland is seamless… there was no border stop or inspection… it was as if we were travelling to an EU country. Swiss trains are also spotlessly clean… I don’t know how they do it… but one could eat off the floors… stations are also emaculate.
The household cleaning chemicals used over there are much more potent than in the United States. Generally, the Europeans do not necessarily have all the safety and environmental stuff in place that we do in the United States. The whole “Mr Yuk” concept does not exist either. Before globalization hit, long ago there used to be safety issues with their cars which I suspect are fixed now. Such as lack of safety glass, no I beams in the doors for side collisions, etc. They would have to produce cars seperately for the United States market and still do in some respects to this day. The engines were different as well.
Specific memories of their household cleaners in Germany. Hot pink colored toilet bowl cleaner that would prevent air inhalation via fumes if used in a confined space, floor cleaner that would bubble around limestone or mud (I think it was some kind of acid in there). You really had to use rubber gloves over there, none of this bare handed cleaning approach.
These days in Germany, most people prefer to not use harsh chemicals, instead often using “Bio” and “ökologisch” products, i.e., green friendly.
I’m guessing they don’t rely on contracted cleaning services that get 30 minutes to clean a station 3x a week.