East Midlands Railway (EMR) will close access to platforms via Nottingham station's footbridge next month to validate the findings of a recent pilot, which showed an estimated revenue loss of £80,000 — equating to an annual loss of approximately £1.1 million.
The revenue, which is ultimately the taxpayers' and fare-paying customers' money, was captured over a recent three-week pilot in November.
The next closure, which will be kept under review, will allow the operator to capture further evidence and data to verify the results of the initial pilot.
It will commence on Saturday 22nd February. Customers who want to access platforms one to six will instead need to use the main entrance of the station. The footbridge, which connects Station Street to Queen's Road, will remain a public right of way.
Customers who have previously used the bridge are advised to allow extra time to walk through the station to catch their required service. Access to the tram on Station Street via the footbridge will also be maintained.
The pilot also showed an increase in satisfaction with the station experience—including significant safety improvements.
This is directly linked to the increased availability of staff and directing customers past the ticket gates rather than the central bridge.
Some of the most positive customer satisfaction increases were among the disabled community that uses the station. The pilot also directly led to three customers with suicidal intentions being engaged by colleagues at the ticket gate.
During next month’s footbridge closure, EMR will be taking extra measures. These include installing clearer signage, running community events to help people understand their ticket options (such as digital roadshows), and carrying out a survey to assess how it impacts traffic on Queen's Road. There will also be extra measures in place around platform 7.
Philippa Cresswell, Customer Service Director at East Midlands Railway, said: "The first short closure of the bridge laid bare the stark extent of ticketless travel that was taking place via the footbridge.
"This money belongs to the taxpayer and is vital for the railway to successfully operate, improve, and secure investment.
"We recognise that the pilot was not universally supported and increased the time it took for some customers to access or change trains; however, the benefits were too great not to progress this matter further.
"The first short closure of the bridge also highlighted significant safety and security benefits - including three direct interventions to support suicidal individuals.
"The closure, which will be kept under review, will allow us to capture more data and evidence around the issue.
"Of course, we are aware that this decision will not be popular with some parts of the community, but it is only right to protect the taxpayer and test our analysis and conclusions that were highlighted around safety."
