At the beginning of last week I noticed that the ticket machine had disappeared in front of Hurst Green Station. As being a season ticket holder I didn't really have more than a passing interest - I assumed that it was broken and had been removed for repairs.
The truth it appears was more dramatic. The machine was ripped out by thieves, dragged out using a 4x4 and found abandoned up at Warlingham. I have no idea how much cash was in it , nor whether they were successful in getting it out. However, to me the most amazing part of this story is that by Friday morning a machine was back in place again.
I am sure that under BR we would still be waiting for another 6 months or so. While I beleive that the profit motive played a strong part but given the station is manned most of the day, the lost revenue can't have been that significant. The main benefit of returning the machined appears to have been customer service related as its renewed presence has significantly reduced the queue at at the window. So congratulations to Southern for reacting so quickly.
