Waterloo train ticket checker outrage

There is often just one ticket clerk at my local railway station - and a rather dodgy machine that is more often out of order than working. He is a really nice man and is never lonely for there is always a long, long line of people queuing up to wish him a "Good morning" and to purchase their season ticket or travelcard. In fact, the queue is always so long, all the commuters know that they have to get to the station at least 20 minutes before their train is due because it will take at least that long to get a ticket.

Now. Sometimes the queue is soooo long that you can miss not just one but two trains. And then you are late for work. And this causes stress. And sometimes it causes the sack. And bitter misery.

So do you take the risk and get on the train without a ticket? Even though you have the money and have spent a significant amount of time in a queue already (for example, to wait for the ticket machine that decides that today it will not accept any notes - only the exact change - which is a challenge when most tickets cost more than £10 and most mortals don't have the reinforced pockets necessary to carry that much change around) - you could still be fined. And even get a criminal record.

At Waterloo station this morning there were 13 ticket checkers. Yes, 13 ticket checkers at the exit to platforms 17 and 18. They looked incredibly jolly - all happy and laughing and chatting about their weekend. Until the poor people who had given up the mega-queues at their home stations tried to buy a ticket - when they were treated like naughty school children and read the riot act about it being a criminal offence to travel without a valid ticket blah blah blah.

I am sorry. But why doesn't the rail network redeploy some of this rather excessive number of ticket checkers to selling the tickets? This would reduce queues. This would reduce stress. This would reduce the number of trains people miss. It would most certainly reduce the number of people travelling without a ticket because of the unbelievable queues due to a lack of people selling tickets....

It seems such a simple idea. I guess that the number of fines and convictions would decline. But is the point of this exercise to help people get their tickets or to fine them for trying to do so very hard and finally giving up?

I think commuters should get together and demand a concession that says something like "If you have to wait more than 10 minutes to purchase a ticket then you are allowed to ride for free" or at least to buy a ticket at the other end - without abuse.

A ratio of one ticket seller to 13 ticket checkers simply isn't on. Please let us all complain to Network Rail or Waterloo or everyone involved - we really can't let them carry on like this.