Shere SMART


The Shere SMART is a desktop-based railway ticket issuing system, developed by the Guildford-based company Shere Ltd, utilising Newbury Data ND4020 ticket printer, first introduced in Britain in 2003. Since the first trial installation of the system in the ticket office at London Bridge station, approximately 300 terminals have been installed at stations on the Southern and former Thameslink networks.

Origins

After the railway network was privatised in the mid-1990s, it was decided that when the existing "Heritage" ticket issuing systems needed replacing, the contracts should be put out to competitive tender. Although the Rail Settlement Plan scheme, overseen and controlled by the newly created Association of Train Operating Companies, would set various requirements and regulate the introduction of such systems through an official accreditation process, any company which wished to set up a ticket issuing system and offer it for accreditation could do so. Once it had been accredited, the system could then be offered to the individual Train Operating Companies once they were ready to replace their existing equipment.
Accordingly, having met RSP's requirements, the SMART Terminal began to be installed on a trial basis in 2003. London Bridge was the first station to gain one, in January of that year, when Connex South Eastern elected to put the system on trial. Over the next 18 months, more machines were trialled at various locations by other TOCs as part of the tendering process.
Train Operating CompanyLocationMachine NoDateOutcome of trial
Connex South EasternLondon Bridge5010January 2003APTIS reinstated, then replaced by Fujitsu STAR
Connex South CentralGipsy Hill5011February 2003Still in situ
South West TrainsWalton-on-Thames5012-5014August 2003Replaced by Fujitsu STAR
Arriva Trains NorthernBradford Interchange5016-5021December 20035016 removed without replacement; others replaced by Cubic FasTIS
ThameslinkLondon Blackfriars5023 and 5072December 2003
July 2004
Replaced by terminals 5201 and 5202
Arriva Trains WalesNeath5024-5025April 2004Replaced by Fujitsu STAR
First Great WesternReading5194-5195September 2004Replaced by Fujitsu STAR
MerseyrailMoorfields5222October 2004Replaced by Fujitsu STAR
Chiltern RailwaysBanbury5374March 2005Replaced by Cubic FasTIS

There was also a machine in an Excess Fares office at London Paddington, from August 2004 until June 2006. First Great Western have replaced this with a Fujitsu STAR terminal.

Installation programme

The Southern and Thameslink TOCs, both at that time owned and operated by the Govia company, signed contracts in 2004 to have SMART installed in ticket offices at their stations. Southern began by putting in two terminals each at Balham and Norwood Junction during the summer; once these had "bedded in" successfully, the roll-out continued across the rest of the network, with a number of small stations waiting until April 2005 for their APTIS machines to be replaced. Delayed installations occurred at Woodmansterne and Littlehaven. The smaller Thameslink network had all of its stations equipped with SMART Terminals between September and December 2004.

Features

Whereas the APTIS system used different blank cards for almost every type of ticket, SMART prints almost all tickets on the same, orange-banded stock with no pre-printed headings. The main examples are shown here:
Tickets printed on "Common Stock"Tickets printed on dedicated stock
Travel TicketsYoung Persons Railcards
Platform ticketsNetwork Railcards
Rail Rovers and RangersSenior Railcards
Car Park TicketsLonger Period Season Tickets
One Day Travelcards Annual Season Tickets
Seven Day Travelcards Family Railcards
Seven Day Season Tickets
One Month Season Tickets
Excess Tickets
Seat/Cycle Reservations
Supplement Tickets
Advance Purchase Tickets