VItraveller
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I’m guessing those which are integrated in to railway stations like Rochdale and Victoria but are there others?
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Which Manchester metro link stations are staffed?
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Mcr Warrior
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Suppose you could include Altrincham, which shares the railway station, but essentially all Metrolink tram stops are unstaffed.
pokemonsuper9
Established Member
The most integrated is Altrincham.
I do often see staff on the platform at Victoria helping people with the ticket machines.
I do often see staff on the platform at Victoria helping people with the ticket machines.
Note that "rochdale railway station" tram stop is not integrated with the actual railway station. It sits on the opposite side of station road, parallel to maclure road.
As for staffing you certainly see staff on metrolink platforms doing crowd control, customer service etc but I don't know to what extent they have fixed locations. It's certainly common to find them at both picadilly and picadilly gardens though.
As for staffing you certainly see staff on metrolink platforms doing crowd control, customer service etc but I don't know to what extent they have fixed locations. It's certainly common to find them at both picadilly and picadilly gardens though.
Mcr Warrior
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Perhaps someone needs to tell TfGM that (!)
TheSmiths82
Member
Could you count Deansgate Castlefield? While they might not be on duty (so it doesn't count) they do have an office there. I think you could say the same about Cornbrook too. I don't think I have bever been to Cornbrook and not seen any staff on the platform helping passengers.
No. The ‘office’ at DCF is a canteen.
Staff being present on occasion ≠ the station being staffed.
What is the definition of "staffed"? You'll often see staff/contractors on the city centre platforms - especially at busy times. There were quite a few at Piccadilly Gardens when I passed through the other night, probably trying to manage the crowds caused by the markets. And it's rare to not find people on the platforms at Piccadilly in rush hour.
A regular, scheduled or permanent staff presence.
None of our stations, other than Altrincham, would meet such a definition.
And yet almost everyone every time I am at Piccadilly in the morning or evening peaks there is least one person on the platform with Metrolink logo on their uniform. Usually it's two. Sometimes more.
An official definition may well say the system is unstaffed. But as a passenger if I always see people in branded clothing helping passengers, I see it as a staffed station. So, which is "real"? What the passenger says, or what the operator says? And which definition is more important to the passenger? I will happily argue that if you say to a passenger that a station is unstaffed yet they can see a member of staff regularly, said passenger is going to think you are bonkers!
They may be there frequently, but they’re not guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination, and they can and will be called away at any time.
They may also simply be passing through on their way to other duties. I spent 15 minutes at Piccadilly today, and I did similar a few days ago. Does that mean the station was ‘staffed’? No.
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To be clear, I'm referring to people who are standing next to ticket machines, advising passengers, shouting at the people to stand back when the tram approaches, and - of course - telling people to keep clear of the doors. I don't have insight on how long they're there, all I know is that they are clearly visible and clearly doing passenger facing roles (as opposed to drivers doing changeovers, or whatever other activities are going on). And are - it must be said - more clearly visible than the staff who "staff" some "staffed" London Underground and National Rail stations. Who can also get called away for other duties of course.
Like I say, the official definition is unstaffed. But the passenger does not see that. The passenger just sees people in a Metrolink uniform. And regular users see them there regularly. Metrolink can scream "unstaffed station!" til its blue in the face. But if people see staff there regularly being very visible in doing passenger facing roles at regular times, the passenger will consider the station staffed.
And we would be right. The stations are not staffed. The presence of staff (who will also have duties across the city) at a random point in the day ≠ a staffed station.
The Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009 only applies to railway stations and not Tramstops (regardless of what Metrolink call them).
Well like I say, I am sure the passengers will completely believe you. Piccadilly tram stop is better staffed than my local "staffed" National Rail station.
The only way passengers will ever see Piccadilly as being "unstaffed" is if ALL passenger facing staff are permanently removed. That there is never a single member of staff stood on those platforms. Sorry. That's the truth. That's reality.
This is a clear case where - and I say this loudly for those at that the back - there are two truths. And both are true. And both are valid. Because passengers don't care one bit about semantics. About rostas. About duties. They... Just... See... Staff... Regularly...
The passenger has it's truth. You will never persuade them otherwise. And I suggest no one at Metrolink ever forgets that, it even if it goes against the "official" truth.
By that standard, none of Metrolink would qualify as being unstaffed. Surely that's obvious?
Why would anyone want to 'persuade them otherwise'? Why would the customer even care? What is the problem with them thinking that?
Are you sure? I thought "underground" required the platforms to be below street level.
Having a read of the "Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009" I notice it talks about the level of exists used as fire exits. I notice that the doors taking people from the metrolink station at picadilly into the mainline station have "do not enter when closed" signs. Is this an attempt to ensure that passengers evacutating from the metrolink station evactuate through the ground level exits rather than evactuating "up" into the mainline station.
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The regulations define the following as an underground platform.
'A railway platform is situated mainly in a tunnel or mainly within or under a building if the platform and the permanent way to which it is adjacent are covered by any part of a tunnel or building for more than half the length of the platform.'
So if it were a railway, i believe it would need to be staffed. Due to platforms 5/6 being classed as underground Manchester Victoria has to be staffed under the regulations.
'A railway platform is situated mainly in a tunnel or mainly within or under a building if the platform and the permanent way to which it is adjacent are covered by any part of a tunnel or building for more than half the length of the platform.'
So if it were a railway, i believe it would need to be staffed. Due to platforms 5/6 being classed as underground Manchester Victoria has to be staffed under the regulations.
I’m sure that the vast majority of people who use the system are acutely aware that any customer service staff they see are roving staff with no fixed workplace.
Does your local station advertise when it will be staffed? Piccadilly will only ever have a staff presence at relatively random times.
I mean this with all sincerity, I don’t think anyone really cares.
Quite!
Backroom_boy
Member
I'm pretty sure Picadilly is the only officially staffed* station as its classed as an underground station. But I wouldn't be suprised if TfM (or whoever it is now) have subcontracted any staffing needs to Network Rail Edit apparently not
*officially staffed as in it cant open if there aren't any available staff. Not that there could be roving staff present.
*officially staffed as in it cant open if there aren't any available staff. Not that there could be roving staff present.
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Incorrect. The Metrolink platforms are open even when Piccadilly station is closed, such as on Boxing Day.
It’s also very, very rare to see any non-Metrolink staff down there, unless they’re booked assistance or passing through on the way to the car park.
As stated above, the only station that comes anywhere close to being ‘staffed’ is Altrincham.
Backroom_boy
Member
Why is Altrincham sort of staffed?
It has a Northern ticket office, and also a TfGM travel office.
I believe the ticket office is run by TFGM, in a similar way to Horwich, Northern actually manage the NR platforms, but dont have staff at Altrincham.
Is there not still the Northern ticket office on platform 4?
Mcr Warrior
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No, that closed several years ago. Just the TfGM-operated ticket office on the bus station / platform 1 side of Altrincham station.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
On Bury Metrolink, are there any areas on the platform near to the stairs/escalators that only staff have access to?
