Automatic barriers at York station.

[60041]

I agree totally with the above posts, fare evasion is a huge problem and any railway company, be it private or state owned, cannot operate without fares. I use the train as much as possible, between Alnmouth and either Newcastle or Edinburgh, and see fare evasion every time I travel. I only have my ticket checked on average about once every 4 trips. Someone I know boasts that he has not bought a ticket for months, despite travelling to Newcastle every week.
I remember when there were ticket barriers at most stations and it was not a problem, I used to buy a platform ticket just like everybody else if I was not travelling. The problems at York are not insurmountable, surely a system could be introduced where people bought a platform ticket, for say £1, and then got a refund at the NRM or when they bought a Grand Central ticket; much the same as my local supermarket does with the car park tickets.

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

There is no argument against platform tickets as long they are kept at £1 or so.Certain toc's could see this as a licence to print money.If they will charge people for booking tickets in advance,i'm sure they'd love to scam the enthusiast.

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

Let's hope that now they're handing back the keys,the whole issue of barriers at York station will go away.

[silver fox]

The Council says no!

[PinzaC55]

I doubt if the council have the right. In operational terms anything that is required on the railways for operational reasons (such as Catenary or Signals) doesn't require planning permission, though the railways have a duty to consult regarding its appearance.I've not heard any complaints from anyone about the huge rotating advertisements above the concourse or the cluster of tacky coffee stands?

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

The coffee stands come in useful,and as for the rotating ads,i'm trying to cut down on the amount of complaining i do!I am not victor meldrew!!

[Bryan]

I am not victor meldrew!!

Says FF

We were beginning to wonder.

[hq1hitchin]

I doubt if the council have the right. In operational terms anything that is required on the railways for operational reasons (such as Catenary or Signals) doesn't require planning permission, though the railways have a duty to consult regarding its appearance.I've not heard any complaints from anyone about the huge rotating advertisements above the concourse or the cluster of tacky coffee stands?

I was involved, at the margins, in the automatic ticket gate schemes for several of the London terminii and don't recall the local councils getting involved, the main agency that needed to be convinced was the HMRI mainly in respect of crowd control arrangements, a real concern at places like Victoria and Liverpool St. If York City Council had a collective memory, they would recall that York was never an open station until late on in BR days, there were ticket barriers and you couldn't just wander onto the platform, a ticket of some sort was needed. Fare evasion is a big problem on the railways and ATGs undoubtedly do reduce fraudulent travel. If they want to have open access for all on York Station, perhaps the council might care to contribute towards the railway's loss of revenue as a result of their decision? ha ha

[52A]

My sentiments exactly, remember stations are there for the benefit of passengers, not allas for the benefit of enthusiasts.

[Bullhead]

I was involved, at the margins, in the automatic ticket gate schemes for several of the London terminii and don't recall the local councils getting involved, the main agency that needed to be convinced was the HMRI mainly in respect of crowd control arrangements, a real concern at places like Victoria and Liverpool St.

I was involved fairly closely in schemes for ATGs at the west end of Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh Haymarket, Glasgow Queen Street, Dundee, Stirling, Aberdeen, and Ayr. I've also had some involvement in a yet-to-be-introduced scheme at Glasgow Central. As HQ1 says, HMRI require proof that passenger flow modelling has been undertaken (this is a fairly complex process using census figures and sophisticated computer software) and that appropriate mitigation is in place to deal with any issues that may arise; local council input is (in my experience) limited to grumbling about the aesthetics.

Edited to correct spelling error

[PinzaC55]

This is of course the same York Council which -
A) Decided they needed new offices.
B)Found a suitable site at Hungate (a large disused warehouse mysteriously caught fire and cleared the site)
C) Sold their existing main office to a developer.
D) Spent an estimated £4,000,000 on preparing plans for the new HQ which was to be nexted to a Listed building.
E) Had the plans slapped down by English Heritage and the planning inspectors as being "out of character and inhuman".
F) Had to lease their offices back from the developer they sold them to.
G) Announced that this was all the fault of protestors who didn't like the design of the new HQ.
H) Are currently considering an application from Tescos to convert a Listed Building in the Core Historic Conservation Area into a supermarket.

Hardly fills you with confidence does it?

[richard]

That is relatively harmless as local government goes: Dallas City Council are currently trying to put a tollway and a "park" (they're pushing it as being like Central Park or Hyde Park) within the Trinity River's levees. They have yet to understand the concept of levees and flood plains.


Richard

[stembok]

At the time of the ECML electrification C1990, various people and authorities, including some local councillors, were perturbed by the prospects of OHL on the Royal Border Bridge. One "serious" suggestion was that electric trains might 'coast' over the bridge, which would be some neutral section!! It was gently pointed out that many problems might arise, one of which would be up services re-starting from Berwick.

[PinzaC55]

"At the time of the ECML electrification C1990, various people and authorities, including some local councillors, were perturbed by the prospects of OHL on the Royal Border Bridge. One "serious" suggestion was that electric trains might 'coast' over the bridge, which would be some neutral section!! It was gently pointed out that many problems might arise, one of which would be up services re-starting from Berwick."
LMAO I forgot about that one!

Incidentally when York was resignalled one of the large cast iron "NER" spandrels which used to support the semaphores at the north end of Platform 9 (as was ), and had been used to support a colour light signal in the 1951 resignalling, disappeared. It was part of the fabric of the station and presumably listed but nobody said anything about it or where it went?
When York council introduced the "FTR" bendy bus they put up stainless steel computerised timetables right under the City Walls.They are completely out of keeping with the walls and are a magnet for chavs and vandals.Again, nothing said.