Railway bosses are to close a footbridge entrance at Nottingham Station next week in a bid to clamp down on fare dodgers.
East Midlands Railway (EMR) will close access to platforms via the station’s footbridge. This means customers who want to access platforms one to six will instead need to use the main entrance of the station.
The footbridge, which connects Station Street to Queen’s Road, will remain a public right of way.
EMR are advising customers who have previously used the bridge to allow extra time to walk through the station to catch their required service.
Access to the tram on Station Street via the footbridge will also be maintained.
This closure follows a series of three recent revenue operations at Nottingham that revealed the level of ticketless travel through the station.
While these operations produced good results, they were particularly resource-intensive due to the station layout. As a result, the cost of conducting them outweighed the revenue gained, making them unsustainable in the long term.
Philippa Cresswell, customer service director at East Midlands Railway, said: “The vast majority of our customers always buy a ticket and understand that for the railway to successfully operate, improve, and secure investment, fares need to be paid.
“Sadly, there is a minority of determined people who think they can travel for free and have been using the overhead bridge to avoid paying.
“We have a duty to protect revenue – which is ultimately taxpayers’ money and fare-paying customer’s money – and have been forced to take this action to prevent access to the platforms via the station’s footbridge.
“The pilot will commence on Monday, October 28, and customers are advised to allow extra time to walk through the station when catching their services.
“The right of way connecting Station Street and Queen’s Road will remain open, as will the access to the tram stop on Station Street.”
