back to article NSW unveils “foundations” for integrated ticketing

Transport for NSW has installed new displays on ticket barriers at several Sydney railway stations, and says the new units “will set the right foundations for the introduction of Opal electronic ticketing." The new display at Sydney train ticket barriers The new displays at Sydney railway ticket barriers The Reg spotted …

COMMENTS

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  1. Esskay
    Flame

    a small plastic nub on top of the machines!

    How wonderful! Now when I hear that the train from Granville to out west/the city/anywhere has been cancelled *again* (or, if I'm lucky, has been delayed 20mins and will now arrive a minute or two before the next train, which has subsequently also been delayed) I won't care at all because I was able to look at a small, shitty, screen as I walked through the gate.

    Not to mention that it looks fucking horrid - they've obviously just hacked a hole in the top of the machine and dropped the plastic crap on top, where it will sit happily awaiting the first drunk bogan to punch it off the machine at 2am the day after it's installed.

    Why do NSW governments (both sides, for that matter) think people give a shit about screens on the machines?! It's th same story every term - any government in power tries to push through a big transport project that either:

    a) Is expensive, thus resulting in the government shitting themselves and backing out after wasting 50 million on "feasability reports".

    or

    b) Will take longer than the current term of government, thus resulting in the government shitting themselves and backing out after wasting 50 million on "feasability reports".

    How about we fix the trains before wasting money on ticket machines simply because "they're a bit old"?

    1. GrumpyOldBloke

      Re: a small plastic nub on top of the machines!

      I think you are missing the genius of this. They have gone from a flat surface that you can drag a bag or oversize article across to a flat surface obstructed by a blob. Absolutely brilliant! If this isn't an example of public sector led progress then I don't know what is.

  2. Knoydart
    Flame

    Hop to it

    Well sounds like progress in some way shape and form. Maybe you could go and investigate the Auckland integrated ticketing system (or lack of) and the spanner in the works that is Snapper

  3. Stephen 10
    FAIL

    Still...

    Can't be any worse than Myki has proved in Melbourne...

  4. bep

    larger, brighter, and offer colour screens

    and seem to make the ticket gates work a little slower. Not by much, mind, but when you have a queue of people going through the time still quickly adds up.

    Digital displays aren't always better, and sometimes they're much worse. The old destination boards that they ripped out and scrapped at central are a case in point - all the stations on the line were displayed with a little light next to your station if the train stopped there. People very soon memorised the layout so you could see at a glance if the train currently about to leave was going to stop at your station. They replaced these with numerous CRT displays which are much smaller and have to scroll through the list of stations as you wait and watch the doors close. Progress? Not so much.

  5. Neoc

    Brisbane

    GoCard seems to kinda work here in Brisbane. At least I can use Trains, Buses and Ferries with the one card. And the main stations have at least one over-sized gate per exit for people in wheelchairs or with large bags.

  6. ashwynfalkingham
    Black Helicopters

    Also

    They are upgrading gates so you can't just push them out of the way and walk through anymore. Took them a little while to find that oversight...

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