On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:20:18 +0000, Mrs Redboots wrote:
But how often is there (a) a very long queue

Always in peak

and (b) ticket machines out of order?

About 60% of the time one of them is out of order, about 30% of the time
they are both out of order, at least at my local station. Pay by card? No
choice but the ticket window.

If I know I'm going to travel, and suspect there will be a queue at the
time of day I wish to go, I usually try to buy my ticket earlier in the
day, or even the previous day. And, of course, for many journeys,
buying in advance is a very great deal cheaper!


Most people dont want to plan travel in advance. The beuaty of a car is
"I need to travel, I travel". It's only on very long distance trips,
mainly airplanes, that people buy well in advance. For daily and weekly
tasks people travel spontaneously.

--
Everything I write here is my personal opinion, and should not be taken as fact.