What exactly is a FastTicket machine, and does Walthamstow Central
have one? Is it distinct from a regular ticket machine? I seem to
remember from two years ago that new machines were installed for
London Overground.

--
jhk

In article ,
(Jarle Hammen Knudsen) wrote:

What exactly is a FastTicket machine, and does Walthamstow Central
have one? Is it distinct from a regular ticket machine? I seem to
remember from two years ago that new machines were installed for
London Overground.

I think a variant of them is standard at LO stations. Compare them to tube
station machines. They're very different.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In message , at 23:04:40 on
Tue, 14 Mar 2017, Jarle Hammen Knudsen remarked:

What exactly is a FastTicket machine

It's a type of National Rail ticket machine, perhaps the one which first
allowed you to pick up pre-booked tickets.
--
Roland Perry

On Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:04:40 +0100, Jarle Hammen Knudsen
wrote:

What exactly is a FastTicket machine, and does Walthamstow Central
have one? Is it distinct from a regular ticket machine? I seem to
remember from two years ago that new machines were installed for
London Overground.

I've done some digging and found this page:

https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/help-and-contact
click on "How do I collect my tickets from a Fast Ticket machine?".

It says:

You no longer need to go to the station selected when making a
booking. You can collect your ticket from any station with a Fast
Ticket machine.

So why did they ask me to select a station?

(I've booked my London vacation and I'm taking advantage of Virgin
Trains birthday offer to do a day trip to Chester. £10 each way. ).

--
jhk

On 15/03/2017 08:52, Jarle Hammen Knudsen wrote:

So why did they ask me to select a station?


I think so as to guard against people assuming they could collect
tickets from a particular (usually local) station only to find that that
station had no ticket machine. That situation used to be common (as I
discovered when in Suffolk a few years ago).

--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

On 2017-03-15 10:14:20 +0000, Robin said:

I think so as to guard against people assuming they could collect
tickets from a particular (usually local) station only to find that
that station had no ticket machine. That situation used to be common
(as I discovered when in Suffolk a few years ago).

Yes, this is why. As it's done online you have never had to go to the
selected station even on the day collection was first introduced.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

Robin wrote:
I think so as to guard against people assuming they could collect
tickets from a particular (usually local) station only to find that that
station had no ticket machine. That situation used to be common (as I
discovered when in Suffolk a few years ago).

There were also types of ticket machines which were not online - ie the
station had a ticket machine, but of the simplistic 'press the button for
the ticket you want' type. So just having a ticket machine was not
sufficient.

I don't know if any of these survive, or if they are all online now.

Theo

In message , at 09:52:38 on
Wed, 15 Mar 2017, Jarle Hammen Knudsen remarked:
I've done some digging and found this page:

https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/help-and-contact
click on "How do I collect my tickets from a Fast Ticket machine?".

It says:

You no longer need to go to the station selected when making a
booking.

For about ten years.

You can collect your ticket from any station with a Fast
Ticket machine.

So why did they ask me to select a station?

To avoid you guessing that your chosen station would have one, turning
up, and finding it doesn't.
--
Roland Perry

On 2017-03-15 12:06:28 +0000, Roland Perry said:

To avoid you guessing that your chosen station would have one, turning
up, and finding it doesn't.

Or that it has a machine that isn't online, e.g. the Merseyrail ones.
Making you select ensures you have reviewed the list and chosen a
sensible one.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.