Letter: What exactly are the rules for buying rail tickets?

Letter: A few months ago, London Midland, the train company which I use frequently, brought in a scheme which stated that passengers must purchase their ticket before they got on to the train.

At the time I wasn't aware of the scheme, so when I attempted to purchase my ticket en route, I was warned, and told next time I was liable to face a £20 penalty fee.

Since then I've adhered to that rule - yet I've noticed since that some London Midlands conductors seem to have forgotten all about it, and many times the people sitting near me on the train happily pay for their ticket on board.

I have no problem with that (Lord knows I did it often enough) and I'm certainly not blaming those people in any way, but it would be nice if someone from London Midland could reply to this letter and clarify the situation for me.

Patrick Campbell

Wellington