Open and Closed Stations

[RLBH]

Much has been made on various threads about the change from traditional 'closed' stations to 'open' stations, and the more recent reintroduction of ticket barriers at formerly-open stations.

Was the only difference between open and closed stations the presence (or otherwise) of manual ticket gates? What led to the decision to make stations 'open', and when was it done?

 

[Bevan Price]

Much has been made on various threads about the change from traditional 'closed' stations to 'open' stations, and the more recent reintroduction of ticket barriers at formerly-open stations.

Was the only difference between open and closed stations the presence (or otherwise) of manual ticket gates? What led to the decision to make stations 'open', and when was it done?

Unstaffed halts were always "open", and at many smaller stations, there was no formal barrier - usually just a staff member collecting used tickets as you alighted from trains.

In about the late 1960s or early 1970s, there was a widespread introduction of "pay on the train" concept on many secondary lines -- even at large stations, you could not buy tickets for some secondary lines. That meant that any barriers at those stations had to be removed, and there was no ticket check on entering the station. It also meant the disappearance of all staff from lots of smaller stations, so presumably the reduction in wage bills compensated for any lost revenue due to "fare cheaters". I remember Norwich to Cromer & Sheringham being an early conversion, plus Sheffield to Lincoln local services (although at Sheffield you could buy tickets to Retford, Worksop, Gainsborough or Lincoln as some "non paytrains" also ran to those destinations. )

 

[randyrippley]

When I was a kid in the 60's, we were led to believe that Yeovil Junction was the only open station on the network apart from unmanned halts. Its design as two islands, with no entrance building and the ticket office on the platform meant that any kind of entrance control was impossible. It didn't even have a self-service platform ticket machine. To get into the station you either went over the open footbridge or across the barrow crossing from the car park. By the mid 70's Sherborne and Gillingham had given up on ticket checks (a public footpath actually crossed the tracks within Gillingham station, so control there was always haphazard anyway). Whether the Junction really was the first I don't know, but locally it was believed to be true

 

[30907]

UK practice at most (larger) staffed stations was for tickets to be inspected (shewn!) at the platform entrance and collected on exit. Ticket collection at least continued well into the 70s, with some rationalisation - for example, my home station of Shortlands lost one of its two exits in the mid 60s, to the annoyance of those who lived on the village side of the line.
In the mid 70s the SR in one of its enforced economy drives closed numerous smaller suburban stations in the evening because they wouldn't leave them unstaffed and EPBs didn't end themselves to paytrain operation.

 

[trebor79]

I can remember tickets being collected at Durham station in the 1990s. You had to show or hand over your ticket to enter if leave the southbound platform almost without exception. They didn't seem to bother so often on the northbound platform.

 

[swt_passenger]

I remember entering through Newcastle Central main entrance as a child and you couldn’t see a train. It was like the Berlin Wall with grumpy old men manning a few checkpoints to get in or out of the platform side. I might have been a bit shorter though...

 

[Fearless]

I remember Bristol Temple Meads being made 'open' (i.e. barrierless) in the 1980s - we didn't understand how this would prevent ticket fraud and people travelling without tickets. The intention was to have increased ticket checks on trains. Needless to say, the barriers came back.

There's some great shots (albeit very quick) of the station at that time in the 'Young Ones' episode with Lemmy and Motorhead, when the Young Ones are going on University Challenge:

The ticket barrier is visible at around 2.48.

 

[ag51ruk]

Open Stations came to the Midland Main Line in 1984 - by coincidence, someone is selling one of the leaflets produced by BR about the scheme on EBay at the moment, that explains how it was described at the time. Those leaflets were produced as each area went "Open"

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/British-...m=263997947145&_trksid=p2056116.c100930.m5375

 

[xotGD]

I can remember tickets being collected at Durham station in the 1990s. You had to show or hand over your ticket to enter if leave the southbound platform almost without exception. They didn't seem to bother so often on the northbound platform.

Climbing over the fence onto the northbound platform at Durham was the usual means of access for some back in the 80s...

 

[Taunton]

The checking of tickets inwards at larger stations was almost a customer service issue, giving comments on platform number and whether any changes were required, and where. People used to expect that in those older times rather than look it up somewhere. On exit, I believe that collected tickets was principally done to avoid fraudulent reuse, in the days when the standard availability was one month.

Slightly before my time, but I heard Taunton had collectors on both north and south entrances, but only one of the two adjacent ticket offices was open much of the time, so free platform tickets were given out to go through the subway to the other side. Sounded strange.

Smaller stations were always pretty much open, certainly inward, as you would be given the advice I describe at the ticket window, and when a train arrived a porter would come to the exit just as the arriving passengers got there, and collect tickets from those leaving. The rest of the time you could come and go as you please. If ticketless, just duck intto the platform toilets (many had them) for a few minutes.