Ticket gates at Birmingham stations

[All Line Rover]

I've only just noticed this page on the LM website: http://www.londonmidland.com/tickets-and-fares/tickets-and-fares/ticket-gates/

According to LM: "Ticket gates are on the way!" ( is implied)*

Hmm... I'm not so sure... :roll:

Anyway, is this recent? Will the ticket gates at Birmingham New Street be introduced when the new concourse opens? And which other Birmingham stations already have ticket gates? I was certain that Birmingham Moor Street does, although it doesn't according to the LM website.

 

[Ivo]

Unless there has been a change in the last nine months, Moor Street definitely does have barriers. I also believe that Snow Hill does, but cannot remember for certain. New Street obviously doesn't at present, but even if it did the current layout would render them worthless

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Five Ways, University and Snow Hill all have them. Moor St is now managed by Chiltern, but I think they were introduced during LM's management. I can remember seeing leaflets about the info in the link back in 2009.

 

[matt]

I've only just noticed this page on the LM website: http://www.londonmidland.com/tickets-and-fares/tickets-and-fares/ticket-gates/

According to LM: "Ticket gates are on the way!" ( is implied)*

Hmm... I'm not so sure... :roll:

Anyway, is this recent? Will the ticket gates at Birmingham New Street be introduced when the new concourse opens? And which other Birmingham stations already have ticket gates? I was certain that Birmingham Moor Street does, although it doesn't according to the LM website.

Birmingham Moor Street does. The picture in that link is Birmingham Moor Street. Its been a while since I went to Snow Hill so I can't remember if it had automatic ticket barriers or just staff at the entrance checking tickets.

 

[SS4]

Snow Hill and Moor St both have ticket barriers as do Five Ways and University.

I can see New St getting barriers since the revenue is simply too lucrative and LM are already trialling their smartcard

 

[dvboy]

That article on LM's page has been there since Five Ways and Jewellery Quarter got barriers and that was at least 2, maybe 3, years ago. Snow Hill and Moor Street definitely have had them put in since then too.

New Street probably won't get them until the new concourse has been built. It is just too busy there at peak times to put them in in the current layout, and it's an NR station so a bit more complicated. The barrier staff there at present are LM employees and there are also LM ticket office staff there (not sure if VT also have ticket office staff at BHM also).

LM's smart cards are only for season ticket holders on parts of the Snow Hills lines at present, and probably won't be rolled out to other lines until New Street is finished and ticket barriers are in place.

The LM website implies that stations other than Snow Hill and Moor Street (will or already) have smart card readers but no gates. Presumably they would need to talk to VT about ticket barriers or smart card readers at Wolverhampton (not enough room at present but supposed to be having some work done on a new concourse) and Coventry (not so bad in its current layout).

 

[swt_passenger]

...and it's an NR station so a bit more complicated.

But presumably no more complicated than any of the major London Terminals, or Gatwick, or Leeds, which are all run by NR...

 

[dvboy]

But presumably no more complicated than any of the major London Terminals, or Gatwick, or Leeds, which are all run by NR...

Who operates the ticket barriers and ticket offices at those stations? Did they take a long time to get put in after being proposed? Did any structural work need to take place to fit them in?

 

[sonic2009]

Gatwick Barriers operated by Southern, Ticket office operated also by Southern


Leeds Barriers operated by Northern, with ticket office+travel Centre also by Northern,

although East Coast do have a Ticket/Sales information office by the First Class Lounge.

 

[TSR :D]

Snow Hill does have ticket barriers, but they can be easily bypassed by going to the other way around through the tram where it does not have ticket barriers. By the way, those ticket barriers are desperately needed to get introduced as too many people have been going on trains without tickets far too many times.

 

[Mojo]

New Street probably won't get them until the new concourse has been built. It is just too busy there at peak times to put them in in the current layout, and it's an NR station so a bit more complicated. The barrier staff there at present are LM employees and there are also LM ticket office staff there (not sure if VT also have ticket office staff at BHM also).

London Midland do not have a ticket office at Birmingham New Street, it is managed by Virgin Trains. There are LM staff with Avantix machines selling excess fares on the 'paid' side of the barrier line on the dispersal bridge, and also selling tickets to customers entering the station on bridge 1c.

 

[mawallace]

When I have been to New Street I have had to show my tickets to staff at the ticket gates - I so I suppose that is a human equiaivant of the ticket barrier.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

When I have been to New Street I have had to show my tickets to staff at the ticket gates - I so I suppose that is a human equiaivant of the ticket barrier.

Except for you can show them a bank card or an NHS donors card and they accept it...

 

[dvboy]

London Midland do not have a ticket office at Birmingham New Street, it is managed by Virgin Trains. There are LM staff with Avantix machines selling excess fares on the 'paid' side of the barrier line on the dispersal bridge, and also selling tickets to customers entering the station on bridge 1c.

Perhaps the lady who has sold me a ticket at the ticket office and also checked my ticket on the gateline works for both LM and VT then?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Snow Hill does have ticket barriers, but they can be easily bypassed by going to the other way around through the tram where it does not have ticket barriers. By the way, those ticket barriers are desperately needed to get introduced as too many people have been going on trains without tickets far too many times.

At peak times there is a member of staff at the platform 3 exit to the tram platform.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Perhaps the lady who has sold me a ticket at the ticket office and also checked my ticket on the gateline works for both LM and VT then?

That is very unlikely.

 

[dvboy]

That is very unlikely.

Or changed her employer. I don't know. Perhaps I'm mistaken then.

 

[Badger]

Snow Hill does have ticket barriers, but they can be easily bypassed by going to the other way around through the tram where it does not have ticket barriers. By the way, those ticket barriers are desperately needed to get introduced as too many people have been going on trains without tickets far too many times.

All three BHM stations' barriers are bypassable through various perfectly legitimate exits.

New Street doesn't have electronic barriers yet but see the video on the New Street New Start website - a large array of electric barriers are shown.

Both Snow Hill and Moor Street currently have ticket barriers.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

All three BHM stations' barriers are bypassable through various perfectly legitimate exits.

I cant think of any way out of Moor Street which doesn't require you to go through a barrier if you got off a train at the station. There are three public exits from the station as far as I am aware, two on the down side (platforms 2-5) and one on the up side (platform 1) all of which lead out onto Moor Street itself. There are times of the day when the barrier is unmanned, but there is still a barrier in place at every exit. Am I missing something here?

 

[Crossover]

Both Moor St and Snow Hill have both had automatic barriers for quite some time now. As for Moor St, I'm not sure the entrance from p1 to the street is barriered is it?

Slightly OT but if more barriers are installed like those at Leeds, it will cause turmoil...they are the most useless and slow things ever!

 

[Mojo]

I cant think of any way out of Moor Street which doesn't require you to go through a barrier if you got off a train at the station. There are three public exits from the station as far as I am aware, two on the down side (platforms 2-5) and one on the up side (platform 1) all of which lead out onto Moor Street itself. There are times of the day when the barrier is unmanned, but there is still a barrier in place at every exit. Am I missing something here?

The exit from the Southbound platform is very rarely staffed, and the barriers are usually left in the open position. Normally only seen them active during peak hours.

 

[RPM]

Five Ways, University and Snow Hill all have them. Moor St is now managed by Chiltern, but I think they were introduced during LM's management. I can remember seeing leaflets about the info in the link back in 2009.

The gates at Moor Street were put in by Chiltern. LM have never managed Moor Street, Chiltern took over the station from Central Trains over a decade ago.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The gates at Moor Street were put in by Chiltern. LM have never managed Moor Street, Chiltern took over the station from Central Trains over a decade ago.

Thanks for that, just realised I got confused between it and Solihull / Dorridge, which transferred to Chiltern in May (ex-London Midland).

 

[Badger]

The exit from the Southbound platform is very rarely staffed, and the barriers are usually left in the open position. Normally only seen them active during peak hours.

That explains it then. I only travel to Birmingham because I can with my travel pass, which is off-peak only.