Northern Rail to punish fair dodgers in clampdown

More and more penalty fare routes are to be introduced across the Northern Rail network in a bid to clamp down of fare dodgers.

They will be implemented next month and will be designed to discourage people from travelling on trains without first paying for their tickets if caught they will face £20 fines or double the cost of a single fare, whichever is the greater.

Northern Rail bosses say the penalty fares will be enforced at destination stations by authorised collectors.

The new routes targeted in the clamp down will include the Southport to Wigan line with fines ‘going live’ on Thursday, December 6.

Most stations on penalty fare routes will have either ticket offices or ticket vending machines and so customers will have the opportunity to purchase tickets before they travel, say Northern.

If these facilities are not available at stations, or if offices are closed or machines out of order, customers will still be able to buy a ticket from the on-board conductor.