A 20 minute window for advance tickets opening ticket barrier

[MrJeeves]

Don't they make a big thing of the so-called "lounges" at New Street?

You mean the now-renamed "zones"?

Looks like they gave up with the idea of the red/green/blue lounges, though there is still significant seating past the gateline.

 

[TUC]

It's very hard to see why someone who has bought a 1st class ticket should not be able to access the lounge 30 minutes or longer beforehand without having to give any explanation at ticket barrier. What else is lounge access for? The staff at the barrier are not doing passengers a special favour by letting them through.

 

[island]

It's very hard to see why someone who has bought a 1st class ticket should not be able to access the lounge 30 minutes or longer beforehand without having to give any explanation at ticket barrier. What else is lounge access for? The staff at the barrier are not doing passengers a special favour by letting them through.

There is nothing to suggest that in the general case eligible passengers are prevented from going through to access the first class lounge.

In this case, the OP was not travelling Avanti and the lounge was shut.

 

[TUC]

There is nothing to suggest that in the general case eligible passengers are prevented from going through to access the first class lounge.

Some of the comments above seem to suggest otherwise.

 

[kieron]

Some of the comments above seem to suggest otherwise.

No-one has reported being denied access to the platforms in this thread. Some contributors have been told that access is denied at that time, but they were all allowed through after further discussion.

It doesn't seem ideal when the first class lounge is beyond the barriers and the customer has a first class ticket, though.

 

[Pemberton]

There is nothing to suggest that in the general case eligible passengers are prevented from going through to access the first class lounge.

In this case, the OP was not travelling Avanti and the lounge was shut.

As per post number 14, my train to Birmingham New Street was on an Avanti 1st class ticket. According to their website a customer can use their 1st class lounges for up to an hour after arrival so whilst I waited for my XC train that's what I was trying to do.

 

[trainophile]

At least there are toilets up the escalator in the shopping mall if you encounter any difficulties accessing the ones on the other side of the barriers.

 

[island]

As per post number 14, my train to Birmingham New Street was on an Avanti 1st class ticket. According to their website a customer can use their 1st class lounges for up to an hour after arrival so whilst I waited for my XC train that's what I was trying to do.

The lounge was closed, and you have not said that you showed your inbound Avanti ticket or stated you were looking to enter the ticket gates for that purpose. With respect, you are looking for a non-existent problem.

 

[Pemberton]

The lounge was closed, and you have not said that you showed your inbound Avanti ticket or stated you were looking to enter the ticket gates for that purpose. With respect, you are looking for a non-existent problem.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Sep 2023 ==

I arrived at Birmingham New Street on an a 1st Class Avanti ticket and had just over 40 minutes before my next departure. I headed towards the Avanti 1st class lounge and needed to go through barriers twice on my route. I used my ticket for my departure 40 minutes hence which was rejected and followed by gateline staff saying it was because it was more than 20 minutes to my departure. Having reluctantly been let through I found the Avanti 1st class lounge closed. That's an aside to the main purpose of this thread which was making people aware of the gateline stated 20 minutes window prior to the departure of a train for an a timed advance ticket to automatically activate the barrier at Birmingham New Street.

 

[yorkie]

I've arrived at Birmingham New Street at 0910 for a train departing at 0943. My advance ticket wouldn't work in the barrier and the gateline staff didn't want to let me through because "they will only open the barriers within 20 minutes of the train departure time". If I want to use a shop or the Avanti 1st Class Lounge (as an aside I note this is closed today and tomorrow as per a sign on the door), this seems quite a short time window. I have to say I was manually let through the barriers, though only very very reluctantly.

I would contact Avanti and ask for their policy regarding lounge access; LNER generally allow 2 hours (1 hour at peak times), so it sounds absurd for Avanti to only allow twenty minutes.

Please do let us know how they respond!