SWR to withdraw public access to Guildford Station Footbridge

[Wolfie]

Don't think Guildford BC have the funds and would probably deny the planning change instead as it's cheaper, letting Network Rail resolve it themselves.

Sounds quite likely. The council don't want the change....

 

[infobleep]

All true but the the station bridge/walkway has stairs at both ends by the Guildford Park Rd entrance and down to platform 2 so it's not exactly friendly to anyone with mobility issues.
As someone who has walked across the Farnham rd bridge for literally decades, yes it is narrow but I have never had to step into the road to pass other pedestrians/buggys.
There has been talk for years about the poor east - west connections in Guildford caused by the railway, a new pedestrian bridge is feasible but with the state of the nations finances unlikely to be built anytime
University students can cross the railway by Yorkies bridge, anyone living around Farnham road can use the Mount if they can manage the slope.

But they can afford to rebuild the station so I would have thought putting it within that would help.

Perhaps pressure ought to be brought on the local authority to improve the situation then, rather than relying on an obviously unsatisfactory arrangement with the railway.

Whilst Guildford Borough Council hasn't issued S114 notice, they aren't exactly far off that territory.

For those that don't know an S114 notice is issued when a local authority cannot set a balanced budget. Unlike some other public services, local authorities must set a balanced budget by law.

 

[Bald Rick]

The last significant improvement was decades ago (1980s?) when the "new" westbound road bridge* was built so that the High Street bridge could be closed to traffic.

early 70s.

 

[Notabene]

When I was at Uni there, I always used the station bridge. Very useful at night, when I could post a letter at 9-45 directly into the travelling post office standing at platform 5, which would be delivered in Newcastle, next morning, at 7-30.

 

[camflyer]

When I was at Uni there, I always used the station bridge. Very useful at night, when I could post a letter at 9-45 directly into the travelling post office standing at platform 5, which would be delivered in Newcastle, next morning, at 7-30.

The direct Guildford to Newcastle train was also very useful as a student for getting back home to the NE as it saved having to get across London with a couple of big bags.

 

[DelW]

The direct Guildford to Newcastle train was also very useful as a student for getting back home to the NE as it saved having to get across London with a couple of big bags.

What? Students catching a train at 0600? We didn't know such a time existed when I was a student . I suppose using the station back entrance and the footbridge would have allowed a few more minutes in bed.

The journey can still be done with a single change at Reading. I suspect that the first train from Reading on that route may have come via Guildford as a route knowledge retention ECS move.

 

[infobleep]

What? Students catching a train at 0600? We didn't know such a time existed when I was a student . I suppose using the station back entrance and the footbridge would have allowed a few more minutes in bed.

The journey can still be done with a single change at Reading. I suspect that the first train from Reading on that route may have come via Guildford as a route knowledge retention ECS move.

Students can still get direct trains. They just need to ensure they only travel on days with engineering works and the Cross Country services diverted via Guildford.

Just plan your travel around these Sundays and/or Saturdays if it includes Saturdays too.

 

[Bald Rick]

What? Students catching a train at 0600? We didn't know such a time existed when I was a student

What? It was a common time for me to be catching a train as a student. At the end of an evening, obviously

 

[camflyer]

What? Students catching a train at 0600? We didn't know such a time existed when I was a student . I suppose using the station back entrance and the footbridge would have allowed a few more minutes in bed.

The journey can still be done with a single change at Reading. I suspect that the first train from Reading on that route may have come via Guildford as a route knowledge retention ECS move.

It wasn't at 6am when I used to take it (early 90s), mid-morning I seem to remember. Nice to have a single seat which gave a grand tour of the country on the way home. The challenge was always getting from campus to the station with 2 big bags when you are too poor to pay for a taxi and didn't know anyone with a car. A couple of times I used an abandoned shopping trolley and then dumped it at the station. Bloody students, eh?

 

[infobleep]

As I needed to use the postbox at Guildford railway station, I did a loop to see how long it would take to get to platform 8 in either direction.

I have used the starting point as the back of Guildford railway station and assumed the person's closest entrance is that point

Once you reach the back of Guildford railway station, platform 8 can be reached in around 30-50 seconds if taking the direct route. This is at a walking pace.

If however, the back entrance was closed, it would take around 6 minutes and 30 seconds to reach platform 8. Quite an increase. Note I was head up getting out of the station and that time mifyr have reduced with a train ticket but only by 30 seconds or so.

Now they could of course have a remote barrier intercom but they need to install one first. Either that or staff the barrier all the times the station is open, which at the moment they choose not to do.

My reason for referring to platform 8, is that in the previous closures in the naughties you had to walk around but at the time I didn't know there was an agreement to allow pedestrians to cross, let alone passengers.

As for going to use the postbox, that was about 4 minutes and if having to walk round, maybe 5 minutes. There is a slight saving in not having to ask to be let though the barrier(s) but that is offset by the longer walk.

Another time I will time how long it takes to get to the cinema.

 

[swt_passenger]

Now they could of course have a remote barrier intercom but they need to install one first. Either that or staff the barrier all the times the station is open, which at the moment they choose not to do.

With a barrier remotely staffed surely they’d just get people pushing their way through, or jumping over it? It can’t be the answer, the main problem appears to be that people are using bridge passes to avoid paying rail fares.

 

[Surreyman]

With a barrier remotely staffed surely they’d just get people pushing their way through, or jumping over it? It can’t be the answer, the main problem appears to be that people are using bridge passes to avoid paying rail fares.

They stopped issuing bridge passes sometime ago, can't recall exactly when but probably a year or more.
Ticket barriers at Gfd Park Rd entrance are manned during the day (mostly by temp/agency staff who don't want any hassle), unmanned & left open late in the evening.
Currently, if you say 'I am just walking over the bridge' they let you through, when you reach the gate at the main barriers on platform 2, you say 'just walked over the bridge' they open barrier and let you through. I am sure that they can check the cameras if they really wanted to make sure you were telling the truth.
Anyone doing this could easily board a train if they wanted to, on board ticket checks are infrequent, especially if heading in the London direction.
Of course Fare evaders could always buy a ticket to London Rd, Worplesdon, or Farncombe and press the button for one of the discount cards, go through the barrier and then travel much further, this must happen everywhere, most SWR small stations are unmanned later in the evening.

 

[Bigfoot]

The Guildford traincrew depot is accessed via the bridge so that would make it a bit of a trek to get to and from the platforms.

Only until the station is rebuilt.

 

[infobleep]

With a barrier remotely staffed surely they’d just get people pushing their way through, or jumping over it? It can’t be the answer, the main problem appears to be that people are using bridge passes to avoid paying rail fares.

And if that is the case then they need to staff it the full time the station is open so passengers are not inconvenienced. Of course, they might choose to inconvenience passengers.

It's not as if the barriers are only unmanned after 10 pm. It actually varies and includes some daylight hours too. Also, early morning as well.

A second footbridge as part of the station rebuild is the best solution, although even that would delay someone trying to get to platforms such as platform 8 but preferable to having to walk around.

Ticket barriers at Gfd Park Rd entrance are manned during the day (mostly by temp/agency staff who don't want any hassle), unmanned & left open late in the evening.

There are also hours during the day when it isn't manned. I assume people taking breaks and no staff is provided to cover these periods.

For example, today when I crossed, no staff at the back entrance.

Surely they wouldn't have the back entrance as follows:
Closed when services start
Open
Closed
Open
Closed
Open
Closed for the night whilst services still running.

If it was based on the current manning of the entrance and only open when staff were around, that would be the result.

This is not an easy thing to resolve. I do accept that.

 

[boiledbeans2]

They stopped issuing bridge passes sometime ago, can't recall exactly when but probably a year or more.
Ticket barriers at Gfd Park Rd entrance are manned during the day (mostly by temp/agency staff who don't want any hassle), unmanned & left open late in the evening.
Currently, if you say 'I am just walking over the bridge' they let you through, when you reach the gate at the main barriers on platform 2, you say 'just walked over the bridge' they open barrier and let you through. I am sure that they can check the cameras if they really wanted to make sure you were telling the truth.
Anyone doing this could easily board a train if they wanted to, on board ticket checks are infrequent, especially if heading in the London direction.
Of course Fare evaders could always buy a ticket to London Rd, Worplesdon, or Farncombe and press the button for one of the discount cards, go through the barrier and then travel much further, this must happen everywhere, most SWR small stations are unmanned later in the evening.

I remember pre-Covid, they had bridge passes which were brightly coloured (red, green, etc.) A5-sized cardboard. I think they changed the colour of the bridge pass throughout the day, so you couldn't get a green bridge pass in the morning, enter the station, bunk the train, return in the evening, and try to exit the station with the earlier green bridge pass.

The bridge pass back then was rather promiment and everyone around you could see your bridge pass.

During Covid, there was no pedestrian access to the bridge, which was understandable as they wanted to reduce pedestrian flow through that narrow confined bridge.

After Covid, the bridge pass became a tiny sheet of paper which could fit into the palm of your hand. So the bridge pass was no longer prominent to other people around you. Not sure why they made this change.

Recently, I tried the bridge again, and as the quote above says, there is no longer a bridge pass. You just tell the barrier staff you want to get to the other side and they open the gates for you. In other words, the gatelines at Guildford are now useless, just like the gatelines at Portsmouth Harbour, where you'd tell the barrier staff you're getting the Wightlink, and they open the barriers for you.

 

[infobleep]

During Covid, there was no pedestrian access to the bridge, which was understandable as they wanted to reduce pedestrian flow through that narrow confined bridge.

During COVID there was pedestrian access. It is just that they encouraged you to walk round. Given the pandemic I would walk round as I thought their polite request reasonable.

Had they said no access, I might have felt differently.

 

[boiledbeans2]

During COVID there was pedestrian access. It is just that they encouraged you to walk round. Given the pandemic I would walk round as I thought their polite request reasonable.

Had they said no access, I might have felt differently.

Oh, right. I didn't try to go via the bridge during Covid. I saw big signs asking us to walk round, so that's what I did.

 

[infobleep]

Oh, right. I didn't try to go via the bridge during Covid. I saw big signs asking us to walk round, so that's what I did.

Below is a photograph from 2 July 2020. It shows the back entrance and the sign stating:
TO ASSIST WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING, WE ARE CURRENTLY NOT OFFERING THE BRIDGE PASS SYSTEM AND WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO WALK AROUND.

There was no map with the notice to show the walking route and I don't know if they got permission to do this. I wasn't going to question it as it was an encouragement notice rather than a you cannot notice. I thought it reasonable.

 

[davews]

Yes, the locals will know the way to 'walk round' but others won't. On a visit to Guildford for the cathedral a few years ago I know I should have used the back entrance but didn't and ended up finding my way round via the traffic lights, roundabouts, whatever. Not knowing the area I found it very confusing. A map at minimum would have been helpful.

 

[Surreyman]

Yes, the locals will know the way to 'walk round' but others won't. On a visit to Guildford for the cathedral a few years ago I know I should have used the back entrance but didn't and ended up finding my way round via the traffic lights, roundabouts, whatever. Not knowing the area I found it very confusing. A map at minimum would have been helpful.

You make a valid point (And I am a local) the shortest walking route to the cathedral is actually via a very narrow hidden footpath.
During Covid, I would go for exercise walks near the station, passengers were being dropped at the bus stop(since moved) near back entrance to the station and wandering down the ramp to the car park trying to find station entrance, I had to redirect them on a number of occasions.
Also the street map at the back door to the station contains a number of inaccuracies re street names.
For University students who are walking it is just as short/easy to walk down Walnut Tree close and use 'Yorkies bridge' rather than exit via Guildford Park Rd.
I do support the closure of the Bridge to non rail travellers, having witnessed some of the verbal 'confrontations' with rail staff, it is an open invitation to fare evasion. A new separate pedestrian bridge would be wonderful (and has been talked about locally)but with the current state of the nations/local council finances simply isn't going to happen.

 

[infobleep]

You make a valid point (And I am a local) the shortest walking route to the cathedral is actually via a very narrow hidden footpath.
During Covid, I would go for exercise walks near the station, passengers were being dropped at the bus stop(since moved) near back entrance to the station and wandering down the ramp to the car park trying to find station entrance, I had to redirect them on a number of occasions.
Also the street map at the back door to the station contains a number of inaccuracies re street names.
For University students who are walking it is just as short/easy to walk down Walnut Tree close and use 'Yorkies bridge' rather than exit via Guildford Park Rd.
I do support the closure of the Bridge to non rail travellers, having witnessed some of the verbal 'confrontations' with rail staff, it is an open invitation to fare evasion. A new separate pedestrian bridge would be wonderful (and has been talked about locally)but with the current state of the nations/local council finances simply isn't going to happen.

Today I came across a hard copy of the Issue 2 leaflet on the redevelopment of Guildford Station, from 2012.

On the plan was a separate footbridge and I assume the developers would have paid for it.

Whether that remaind in later plans I don't know.

 

[Fazaar1889]

Today I came across a hard copy of the Issue 2 leaflet on the redevelopment of Guildford Station, from 2012.

On the plan was a separate footbridge and I assume the developers would have paid for it.

Whether that remaind in later plans I don't know.

No, the current plans for Guildford Station redevelopment don't include a new footbridge. The changes are only limited to the buildings on the eastern side of the tracks.

Background – Guildford Forward

guildfordforward.com

 

[DelW]

No, the current plans for Guildford Station redevelopment don't include a new footbridge. The changes are only limited to the buildings on the eastern side of the tracks.

Interesting that the linked website (produced by the developers) repeatedly claims that one of the benefits will be construction of a "modern station building". The existing one seems quite modern to me since I can remember it being built, IIRC in the early 1990s. While that's admittedly thirty years ago, it's still easily one of the newer stations on the network.

It swept away a really motley collection of buildings dating from anywhere between LSWR and BR days.

At least one consolation for losing the once-proposed extra footbridge is that the plan to build over the platforms New Street style seems to have disappeared, at least for now.

 

[Oldgaloot]

This whole thing comes across rather oddly. A lot of students use the footbridge because they live in the Guildford Park area of the town, as do many local residents. The bridge exit is on Guildford Park Road, so ideal for that area. Yorke's bridge down Walnut Tree Close leads directly onto the campus, which is fine if you're on your way to or from a seminar, but useless if you're heading home to Guildford Park or coming back from town with a bit of shopping.

I'm sure the staff do get abuse. But I'm not convinced it's always from pedestrians. Guildford is full of pubs and clubs and people return to the station to travel home on the train well-refreshed and often a bit lairy. They are more than capable of giving rail staff some grief. I've seen it and subsequently on the train. But so do bus drivers in central London get grief (that's why they're behind what looks like a bullet-proof screen), ticket staff on the underground, people who work in your local supermarket (that's why they have cameras pinned to their chests) and so on and on. So what's so special about Guildford Station? Is this by any chance something to do with the proposed development? Maybe. I'm not at all clear what the benefit to rail travellers is going to be. There was talk of a double height booking office but I'd have thought that already exists. And talk of improved toilets, but building a couple of hundred apartments seems an extreme way of obtaining those benefits.

So I don't know what's going on but do know that Network Rail and its predecessors have been trying to deny pedestrian access to town via the station bridge for years. But the pedestrian route across the Farnham Road bridge over the tracks is narrow and dangerous and slopes so steeply on the town side that I've seen people hanging onto the railings to stay upright when the pavement is icy beneath their feet. Interesting times.

 

[Bald Rick]

The existing one seems quite modern to me since I can remember it being built, IIRC in the early 1990s.

Late 80s.

 

[Fazaar1889]

Interesting that the linked website (produced by the developers) repeatedly claims that one of the benefits will be construction of a "modern station building". The existing one seems quite modern to me since I can remember it being built, IIRC in the early 1990s. While that's admittedly thirty years ago, it's still easily one of the newer stations on the network.

It swept away a really motley collection of buildings dating from anywhere between LSWR and BR days.

At least one consolation for losing the once-proposed extra footbridge is that the plan to build over the platforms New Street style seems to have disappeared, at least for now.

While it's true that it is Modern-ish, it is a little dingy...

Building over the station would have increased the already horrendous congestion through induced demand so I too am glad its not there but a new footbridge would excellent. Unfortunately however, it would probably cost millions. The new river footbridge next to Odeon cost a couple mil iirc...

 

[DelW]

Late 80s.

I'm at the age when even something from 35 years ago seems quite recent ...

While it's true that it is Modern-ish, it is a little dingy...

I suspect a good clean and some new paint would scrub it up quite well, but there are probably more urgent candidates.

 

[Recessio]

I think overstation development would be a good thing, Guildford is a town with a severe housing shortage that in recent years has been exacerbated by the increasing numbers of students and staff at the University of Surrey and other large employers. Guildford station has excellent levels of service for a town of its size, clearly is a very attractive place to live and for companies to invest, and definitely has room to expand vertically, given than a lot of horizontal expansion is a non-starter due to green belt and AONB.

 

[infobleep]

I think overstation development would be a good thing, Guildford is a town with a severe housing shortage that in recent years has been exacerbated by the increasing numbers of students and staff at the University of Surrey and other large employers. Guildford station has excellent levels of service for a town of its size, clearly is a very attractive place to live and for companies to invest, and definitely has room to expand vertically, given than a lot of horizontal expansion is a non-starter due to green belt and AONB.

It needs more affordable housing but the developers wee able to appeal to the secretary if state to say the amount of social housing in this development was set to high and it's too much for us.

So the amount of affordable housing in it was reduced. I can't remember the precise figures.

I used the footbridge twice today as a pedestrian, although the second time I did buy a train ticket before crossing, just that it was for later. Now come December, once I've purchased my train ticket for later travel, I will then have to go via the road bridge as I'm not travelling at the time.

I then used it twice as a rail passenger.

I wonder if today will be the last day I use it as a pedestrian for 3 months. Perhaps I'll take a walk on Thursday for fun. This is assuming the trial isn't extended.

 

[Edsmith]

Guildford station footbridge

www.southwesternrailway.com

South Western Railway is going to withdraw access to the footbridge for pedestrians from the 4th December to the 1st March, with the aim of collecting data so that Network Rail can apply to permanently withdraw public access next year.

What data are they hoping to collect? A few years ago bridge passes were issued and they could presumably see how many people were abusing it by how many passes didn't get handed in?

There's a similar situation at Ashford International with people using the subway to get from one side of the station to the other.