Magnetic strip on the back of a train ticket

sb1972uk · 19 Nov 2015 at 11:10

Hi all,

What information is stored / contained in the magnetic strip on the back of a train ticket ? Ive done a searchon google and cant find a solid answer.

Im trying to work out if my photo pass id number is in it.

SBK

bloodiedathame · 19 Nov 2015 at 11:13

Sounds... Nefarious.

tom_e · 19 Nov 2015 at 11:14

sb1972uk said:
Im trying to work out if my photo pass id number is in it.

I wouldn't imagine so as you don't have to put in any pass details when buying your tickets.

ikillbears · 19 Nov 2015 at 11:16

i'd very much doubt it

Sliver · 19 Nov 2015 at 11:16

Probably some tosh that the rail companies can use to validate the ticket. Just guessing though.

Diddums · 19 Nov 2015 at 11:17

It stores your bank account number, sort code, PIN, NI number, tax code, address including last 5 years, mother's maiden name and date of birth, your date of birth, current employer, and more.

Or it just holds the date and time of the ticket purchase and where it's valid.

Cosimo · 19 Nov 2015 at 11:18

From the Rail UK forums:

The magstripe on a standard ticket holds a massive...192 bits of data, broken down as follows:
Header : 16 bits
Rail Settlement Plan Data : 72 bits
London Underground Data : 80 bits
Checksum : 8 bits
Trailer : 16 bits

The full spec can be found on the password protected bit of the ATOC website.

For each station, the gates will record:

- The date and time a ticket was put through a gate
- The mode the gate was in (e.g. exit mode)
- Whether the ticket is an Adult or Child one
- Whether the ticket was accepted or rejected
- A reject code for the ticket (Reject code 0 = ticket valid)
- Whether the tickets been recoded
- Whether the ticket was captured by the gate (i.e. at the ticket's destination)
- The ticket's Origin, Desintation, Route code, ticket type and any discount

It also records a load of LU data which is meaningless to a TOC.

The gatelines do not record a ticket number so there is no way of associating ticket use to an individual.

Oyster is different as you can follow an individual Oystercard around Zones 1-6.

sb1972uk · 19 Nov 2015 at 15:53

Hi. I saw the railUK forum answer but that is for gates and what they hold. I want to know what is held on the actual ticket.

I dont buy my ticket from the machine, I ask for a weekly ticket from the booth and they always want to see my photo pass for the number. MY pass number is printed on the front of the ticket but I wanted to know if its held in the magnetic strip. I suppose I want to know if they can see which stations Im travelling to / from and through.

SBK

blundaruss · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:03

Surely it does say what is on the magstripe at the beginning of Cosimos post??