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Paddington barriers on platform 6/7

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Mojo

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Does anyone know what is the purpose of the temporary retractable “Tensabarriers” between platform 6 and platform 7 (the Heathrow Express platform) at Paddington station is?

The barriers seem to stretch from underneath the footbridge to the front cab of Heathrow Express units and is guarded by a large number of staff in pink GWR hi-vis with the name of a recruitment agency alongside the GWR logo.

My GWR train this afternoon arrived at platform 6 and when it arrived these staff moved into a position and were telling customers to keep walking down the platform.

I initially thought it was something to do with the new(ish) gateline but both exits to the platform share a gateline, and Heathrow Express customers were walking along platform 7 on that side of the barriers so it doesn’t seem as if part of the platform has been closed for anything. Does anyone know what this is about?
 
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Mag_seven

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I understand there is a larger than normal stepping distance at the country end of platform 6/7 for a class 800 and the additional staff have been employed to assist passengers off/on.
 

Mojo

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Do you mean platform 6? I understand that but the staff did not seem to be concerned about helping anyone (not that anyone needed any help) they seemed to only be concerned with stopping people crossing the temporary barriers onto platform 7.
 

JonathanH

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GWR passengers arriving or departing on platform 6 need to use the platform 2-5 barriers rather than the platform 6/7 ones. Heathrow Express passengers need to use the platform 6/7 barriers.

To avoid revenue loss, there is a need to prevent people using the platform 2-5 barriers to use Heathrow Express or 'connecting' from trains in platform 6 to those in platform 7 without passing through both sets of barriers.
 

Mojo

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I think its probably both - I've only ever come into P7 on a class 800 (not P6 yet) and the staff have been there to oversee people alighting.
AIUI, platform 7 is only for Heathrow Express trains during the daytimes. Unless there is presumably disruption.
GWR passengers arriving or departing on platform 6 need to use the platform 2-5 barriers rather than the platform 6/7 ones. Heathrow Express passengers need to use the platform 6/7 barriers.

To avoid revenue loss, there is a need to prevent people using the platform 2-5 barriers to use Heathrow Express or 'connecting' from trains in platform 6 to those in platform 7 without passing through both sets of barriers.
I (and everyone else at my end of the train) exited through the platform 6/7 barriers, and there was nothing to stop people crossing into platform 7, once you were beyond the barriers at the bottom of the footbridge.
 

Lewlew

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Since the December timetable change, HEX are only using one platform. I've come into P7 on a GWR train a number of times now and only once came in on 6.

I've always been directed to the 2-5 gateline to exit/enter the platform. There's been lots of staff at the HEX barriers and by the HEX train making sure no one without a HEX ticket boards.
 

Lewlew

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I (and everyone else at my end of the train) exited through the platform 6/7 barriers, and there was nothing to stop people crossing into platform 7, once you were beyond the barriers at the bottom of the footbridge.
Did your train stop at Reading? Is it something to do with contactless payments and making sure they charge people the HEX fare instead of the TfL Rail fare?
 

TFN

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That temporary barrier is just to stop the flow of boarding/alighting passengers on Platform 6 mixing with the boarding/alighting passengers on Platform 7 when Single Platform Working on HeX is in operation.

That temporary barrier has nothing to do with fares it's just to help with platform management.
 

Mojo

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Did your train stop at Reading? Is it something to do with contactless payments and making sure they charge people the HEX fare instead of the TfL Rail fare?
Yes, it stopped at all long distance stations. They didn’t seem to be doing anything to do with revenue, as customers alighting from my train and boarding the return journey were using the same gateline as Heathrow Express.
 

Bigfoot

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In the rail staff travel "where can you go" document it states:

"At Paddington, Heathrow Express trains usually depart from platforms 6 or 7. If a Heathrow Express train departs from a platform other then 6 or 7, the TfL Rail Paddington-Heathrow priv fare will be charged and customers will not be expected to pay more."

Says to me it is very much to do with fares.
 

Mojo

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Just an update, I was back at Paddington today. There are no barriers alongside platforms 6 and 7 all the way up. The platform is only divided beyond the west end of the footbridge, as far as the front of the Heathrow Express, where there is a post and the barrier tapes are at a 90 degree bend to another post in line with the Heathrow Express train cab. There were no barriers all along the platform, and there was an IEP boarding in platform 6.

Therefore I cannot see how it has anything to do with revenue or fares.
 

Horizon22

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In the rail staff travel "where can you go" document it states:

"At Paddington, Heathrow Express trains usually depart from platforms 6 or 7. If a Heathrow Express train departs from a platform other then 6 or 7, the TfL Rail Paddington-Heathrow priv fare will be charged and customers will not be expected to pay more."

Says to me it is very much to do with fares.

HEx are only using one platform at present after the Dec '19 timetable change, so I imagine they haven't updated the document. There's also some issues to do with curvature and platform gap I believe.
 

221129

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That temporary barrier is just to stop the flow of boarding/alighting passengers on Platform 6 mixing with the boarding/alighting passengers on Platform 7 when Single Platform Working on HeX is in operation.

That temporary barrier has nothing to do with fares it's just to help with platform management.
It is exactly this. With HEX trains arriving on 7 to a platform full of people waiting to board, it helps to stop too many people congregating and pushing at the narrower points on the island.
 

Horizon22

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It is exactly this. With HEX trains arriving on 7 to a platform full of people waiting to board, it helps to stop too many people congregating and pushing at the narrower points on the island.

This will also be down to only 1 platform being available, so less room for people to mill around. Especially as many will be foreign tourists.
 

JonathanH

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There are no barriers at platform 8/9 presumably due to space

Bike racks and access to the Far end of the station. I don't really see why platform 9 couldn't be brought within the platform 10-14 barriers with a fence down the platform. Platform 8 would have to have its own gateline so is a bit more difficult.
 
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