Does it need a larger ticket hall now, maybe maybe not, however is it likely that it will need a larger ticket hall within the next 20 years and so you might as well allow for it now.
Perhaps that is why they installed 4 ticket windows and machine, for future use when such machines are obsolete, having been replaced with other modern technology.
I take your point about allowing for the future. That hasn't always happened in the past.
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According to the latest edition of Rail Magazine Electrification of the North Downs Line and the Ashford-Redhill-Guildford-Reading-Oxford route as a strategic corridor is one of 5 missing links identified as priorities for transport investment.
It is one of 2 rail projects highlighted in a report by a consortium comprising South East Councils, South East Strategic Leaders and South East Directors of Environment.
Economy, Planning and Transport-Missing Links-how better South east transport links can improve UK economic potential
Seems a bit daft to rebuild Guildford Station when the Farnham Road bridge will have to be rebuild let alone all the other infrastructure needs that go with overhead wires!
Perhaps they could in the mean time list Farnham Road bridge as an example of railway infrastructure and then there would be lots of legal battles to get it removed.
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The bridge pass system is seriously flawed and it allows a large amount of fraudulent travel.
The bridge is also responsible for a significant amount of anti-social behaviour,ranging from drunkenness & drug taking to just plain very rowdy behaviour.
The bridge passes should be made a payable thing.
As a regular use of this publication is right of way, I have never seen any drug taking or much alcohol abuse. I do remember once someone dropping a bottle at the back entrance to the ithe station, just outside it if course. They were commenting the police won't be inspecting this side.
This was a reference to the previous nights metal detector evening. Above once a year they would have an evening where they randomly stopped people to check for knives. When this happened they would close the back entrance off. They never did this check at the back entrance though, only via the front and guess what, the night after they did such a thing, someone dropped a bottle at the back entrance knowing they wouldn't check there!
Basically people learnt that they would never do anything at the back entrance and this used that to their advantage, which in my mind made the whole exercise pointless and an inconvenience for those wishing to head out the back entrance. Why not out detectors at both ends.
The other thing I don't understand is why the footbridge has an entrance and exit only open between 6-10am and 4-7pm. Given the first train to stop at Clapham Junction during the evening peak rush hour is the 7.15 Waterloo service, you'd think they would wait until the 7pm service from Waterloo had arrived and passengers got off.
In otherwise run the service during peak rush hour rather than before it finishes.
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Do they walk around the rest of that area with their eyes closed, as there are several high buildings in the vicinity? Probably the best example of which are the flats over the Bedford Road car park, maybe they would like the station to be in keeping with that?
It depends, most people who will be attracted to owning a flat there would likely be working in Guildford close to the Station or would be wanting to use the station. As such there is a of chance that traffic is unlikely to increase as much as people fear. There could even be some who current drive from elsewhere who move to those flats and so reduce traffic movements, which then offsets some of the extra traffic generated.
You would have to be very unaware of traffic in Guildford to move there thinking that driving in the rush hour would be a good plan. Even a visit off peak would show a lot of traffic.
Station improvements are due once a plan for what is needed (I.e. extra platforms) has been decided upon.
Given the barriers have smart ticket readers it could be arranged that users have to touch in/out with a bridge pass that gives users 15 minutes to cross (I.e. long enough that there should be no problem for any one to do so but short enough that there would be no way that people could get a free ride anywhere). If people used them to get a free ride one way (I.e. to get into a train at the station but would need a ticket to get off again) it's unlikely to be worth it for most people.
If there was a loophole, the TOC would know when the most tickets were picked up and not used to exit and so could put in place resources to counteract this.
When gates are unmanned, regardless of the station, ticketless travel is a potential problem.
The flats above Bedford Road car park are not 14 stories high and that was one of the points I imagine people would be objecting to.
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Thanks. I thought it might get a bit difficult in the rush hour. I guess eventually they will have to dig out enough space for an extra couple of tracks.
I they don't. They could just ignore the situation if it gets worse.
