Closest station to Central London without passing through a gateline?

[Railcar]

At Harringay station I realised that, as it does not have a gateline, it offers access to the rest of London's suburban network, including the tube (one stop to Finsbury Park on the Great Northern inners).

Admittedly, one would have to go through a gateline at most destinations, but there are quite a number of stations similar to Harringay on London's outskirts where one can simply get off the train and walk through an exit (Epsom Downs, for example).

One presumes that revenue loss from Harringay is not rated as important as the cost of modifying the station (which bridges the tracks of the East Coast Main Line).

Can anyone think of any stations closer to Central London that do not have a gateline?

 

[PartyOperator]

Essex road doesn’t have barriers either (same line).

 

[LowLevel]

Elephant and Castle I think?

 

[JonathanH]

South Hampstead as well

Tower Gateway is a different ungated way into the network.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The lift at Euston Square and one at Bank (for the Waterloo and City)

 

[Bletchleyite]

Can anyone think of any stations closer to Central London that do not have a gateline?

Euston platforms 4-7, 12-15 and 16. OK, Avanti do manual boarding checks, but for WMT and London Overground the only regular checks are on platforms 8-11.

It's quite astonishing that this has never been sorted out, to be honest.

 

[JonathanH]

Paddington 1, 8 and 9 for that matter.

The plans to gate 8 and 9 seemed to stall - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/ticket-gates-on-platforms-8-and-9-at-paddington.216051/

Deptford isn't gated

 

[Geswedey]

Bethnal Green Overground

 

[Uncle Buck]

Euston platforms 4-7, 12-15 and 16. OK, Avanti do manual boarding checks, but for WMT and London Overground the only regular checks are on platforms 8-11.

It's quite astonishing that this has never been sorted out, to be honest.

I have on more than one occasion boarded a train at Euston without a ticket check, not had my ticket checked at any point during the journey, and disembarked at Glasgow Central without being checked, or the same in the opposite direction. It is quite remarkable.

 

[gordonthemoron]

The lift at Euston Square and one at Bank (for the Waterloo and City)

The lift at Euston Square leaves you outside the gate line

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Paddington

 

[trainmania100]

Paddington

There was last time I checked, are certain parts free to access?

 

[Recessio]

Shadwell DLR? (And most of the DLR stations that don't interchange with other lines)

Elephant and Castle I think?

Yep, and a lot of the Sutton Loop has no barriers either

 

[z444z]

There was last time I checked, are certain parts free to access?

There are no barriers to platform 1 at Paddington but I’m pretty sure there are to all other mainline platforms and 8 and 9… missed that post, sorry!

 

[Jaydubya]

Brixton National Rail
South Bermondsey

 

[JonathanH]

There are no barriers to platform 1 at Paddington but I’m pretty sure there are to all other mainline platforms

As already noted up thread 8 and 9 at Paddington are also not gated.

 

[deltic]

Over 20 London Overground stations do not have barriers

 

[JonathanH]

Over 20 London Overground stations do not have barriers

While that is fair comment, there are also some novel ways in which simple structures have been built to house barrier lines at London Overground stations that could be copied at other locations.

 

[aron2smith]

Caledonian Road and Barnsbury is another one on the Overground. Most DLR stations don't have barriers either, including Tower Gateway in zone 1.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The lift at Euston Square leaves you outside the gate line

Oh I thought it used to be a bypass for the gates?
Was it ever inside?

 

[Recessio]

Oh I thought it used to be a bypass for the gates?
Was it ever inside?

It was changed about ten years ago, they relocated the gateline I think.

 

[Mikey C]

Deptford Station doesn't have gates, despite being rebuilt fairly recently. But then the Southeastern area has a bizarre lack of ticket gates, even at busy stations like Greenwich.

 

[class397tpe]

All the Hounslow loop stations don’t have ticket barriers - Barnes, Barnes Bridge, Chiswick, Kew Bridge, Brentford, Syon Lane, Isleworth, Hounslow. Wonder if this is why SWR seem so reluctant to restore the service to the previous four trains per hour through the day.

 

[brad465]

Does Charing X still permit morning exit/access via the bridge? If so, this setup has no barriers, but all other times is gated.

 

[Recessio]

Does Charing X still permit morning exit/access via the bridge? If so, this setup has no barriers, but all other times is gated.

If we take the centre of London as the equestrian statue of Charles I at Trafalgar Square, then Charing Cross Station is likely our winner of "closest station to Central London" then!

 

[Hadders]

Remember, it's not just about installing barriers. That can usually be done but you have to consider the ongoing cost of staffing the barriers. Does that additional cost pay for itself in additional fares income?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Remember, it's not just about installing barriers. That can usually be done but you have to consider the ongoing cost of staffing the barriers. Does that additional cost pay for itself in additional fares income?

A single central gateline at Euston would save money against the present policy of two or three staff boarding every Avanti train, though. It would logically be under the departure board, though you'd need to relocate some of the retail to make a wider circulation space.

 

[Hadders]

A single central gateline at Euston would save money against the present policy of two or three staff boarding every Avanti train, though. It would logically be under the departure board, though you'd need to relocate some of the retail to make a wider circulation space.

The problem at Euston is that the concourse already gets crowded, and you need to maintain access to facilities like the toilets.

I doubt you could put gates on the ramps themselves. In any case gates are arguably not suitable for long distance services.

Avanti trains should really be doing their ticket checks done onboard, although I don’t see anything inherently wrong with a manual check before boarding, as long as this is done in a customer friendly manner.

LNR from ungated platforms are more of an issue, again all of these trains could have ticket checks done onboard if there was a will.

 

[LowLevel]

The problem at Euston is that the concourse already gets crowded, and you need to maintain access to facilities like the toilets.

I doubt you could put gates on the ramps themselves. In any case gates are arguably not suitable for long distance services.

Avanti trains should really be doing their ticket checks done onboard, although I don’t see anything inherently wrong with a manual check before boarding, as long as this is done in a customer friendly manner.

LNR from ungated platforms are more of an issue, again all of these trains could have ticket checks done onboard if there was a will.

It's far easier to keep ticketless travellers (note - ticketless, acknowledging that barriers don't resolve all problems) behind a ticket barrier than it is to drag them off a train once they're on board it without causing disruption to everyone else.

I occasionally subject my passengers to "local door" checks on particularly notorious trains (usually first thing on a Saturday morning out of big cities) and it's amazing how often someone who had clearly been waiting for the train decides to turn tail and skulk off looking grumpy, whereas if they'd gained access they'd probably have told me to eff off on the basis I'm unlikely to be willing to drag them out of their seat even if able.

 

[Russel]

The lift at Euston Square and one at Bank (for the Waterloo and City)

Hasn't the Euston Square lift setup change to now be inside the gateline?