CABYS statement on revised York plans

Having had a chance to look at the revised plans for barriers at York, it appears that National Express have made some significant changes. The height of the glazed screens has been reduced and provision made for access from the short stay car park; however, there will still be four separate gate lines, at least two of which will only be staffed at peak times.

National Express have also issued a "justification" statement more or less identical to that at Newcastle.

CABYS has issued a press statement on the revised plans:

We are pleased to see that, in their revised plans, NXEC have addressed the problem of access from the short-stay car park. However the new plans do nothing to satisfy those of us who are upset at the way in which an important listed building is to be marred by the installation of ugly and unnecessary barriers. And yet this is not just a question of aesthetics, for there are other equally important issues at stake.

Basically ticket barriers are just not suitable for this kind of station. York has no less than four separate entrances, with the result that at both the long-stay car park and the Leeman Rd car park there will be no assistants on hand, just ticket machines and an intercom for passengers needing help. This means that people with disabilities (whether sensory, mental or physical) will have considerable difficulty dealing with these facilities, as too will mothers with small children and the elderly. Also if potential passengers find that it is not possible to buy the correct ticket or that the barriers will not allow them through then they will have to walk all the way round to the front of the station.

Another deeply worrying feature of the proposed scheme is whether NXEC will have the staff necessary to man all the barriers at all those times when passengers are likely to need assistance (especially since they seem to be shedding staff at present). They claim that the barriers will be fully manned “at peak times”. But the likelihood is that those passengers most in need of assistance – such as those with excessive luggage, the elderly, the disabled, and families – are precisely the people who do not travel at “peak times”. So how are they to get help when they need it?

And then there’s Grand Central. Currently travellers enjoy the fact that they are able to buy their tickets on the train. But if this plan goes through they will have to join the long queues in the ticket office, because National Express will be able to refuse access to the platforms for anyone without a ticket. This should be ruled out on the grounds that it is anti-competitive, especially as National Express run the Travel Centre and would therefore gain commission from these tickets.

The case for installing automated gates is not proven. Most journeys in and out of York allow enough time for on-train staff to check and issue tickets between stations. ‘Fare dodging’ is usually associated with short distance commuting, but most journeys that start or end at York are not of this type. Basically NXEC have not provided any evidence to demonstrate that the problems of fare evasion are of a type and scale that would be best addressed by ticket barriers, particularly given their other obvious disadvantages and cost. It would seem that they were included in the franchise bid without any proper evaluation.

As far as we are concerned York station should not be regarded as “belonging” to National Express, for whom it is just a `capital asset’, and who in all probability won’t be running the station for very much longer anyway. It really belongs to the people of York, who have as much affection for this glorious Victorian building as they have for the other great architectural glories of the city. NXEC should not be allowed to despoil it.

Verna Campbell
Chair, CABYS (Campaign Against Barriers at York Station)
CABYS@live.co.uk