sweek wrote:

I think they reverted the system to the old system where you can buy a
train ticket on the train, if you have a good reason for it anyway.

Not so far as I know. I understand that on-train staff still have no
way of issuing anything other than a penalty fare.

If this did become the case, I'd like to know about it as it could be
useful for me, as it's a right pain having to either keep 7 euro of
change handy for Den Haag-Schiphol or wait in a bloody long queue (the
50 cent charge doesn't bother me as much as I'm not paying myself,
though I do consider it very unfair).

It is ridiculous however that even in the new machines that are being
installed just now, you still can't use credit cards. i think Maestro
cards should work with most European debit cards though, but I'm not
sure of that.

It's a common Dutch and German mistake to assume everyone follows the
Maestro standard. Approximately 50% of UK debit cards are of the Visa
(Delta) type, and these must be processed as if they were credit cards.
The other 50% are Maestro cards, but they follow an old UK standard at
times so I'm not 100% that they work abroad (though I have heard that
they do work in NS ticket machines).

I wouldn't even mind if NS charged the difference in costs (yes, the
difference in costs, not a sneaky 4 quid penalty like cheapo airlines
do) for processing credit cards in exchange for acceptance. The ticket
machines themselves can do it, as the ones at Schiphol already do[1].
It's just a software and accounting mod that's necessary.

[1] Actually, this must cause a lot of problems for tourists. It's not
unreasonable to assume that as cards are accepted at Schiphol, they are
also accepted elsewhere.

But you're right, it's ridiculous how bad our railways can be when it
comes ot customer service and information at times, and we really need
to start accepting credit cards in a lot more places.

Yep.

They might also want to consider, when installing new passenger
information displays that use LCD or LED, that these are vastly more
flexible than the old flap board systems, and, as such, that it would
be really helpful for tourists and others unfamiliar with the system if
they could display all calling points rather than just a summary.

We are switching to integrated transport though; an OV Chipkaart, which
is basically like an Oyster card that you should be able to use for any
form of public transportation throughout the country in the end. Right
now they are only testing it in the bigger cities. You might have seen
the gates already in Amsterdam and Rotterdam if you have been there
lately.

I've not been around those parts, but I have heard about it. Unlike
Oyster, I understand that there's going to be a version that can be
issued easily by a machine. The only concern I have about it is that I
believe the plan is for "relational prices" to replace zonal fares,
which suggests that the fares themselves are to become a whole lot less
understandable, and more like the UK bus free-for-all, as well as
disadvantaging[1] those who are forced[2] to make connectional
journeys, which is the contemptible way most of the UK bus market
operates.

The Dutch authorities also *need* to realise that there will need to
be, easily available, a means of loading up a card with cash. Not
everyone has a Maestro-compatible card (see above).

[1] I understand that, like in Singapore, there will be a discount for
transfers within a certain time period. That can still disadvantage
the passenger where two relational fares exceed the price of the
through journey without changes.
[2] Few people will do so by choice.

Neil