First time arriving at Stansted airport platform 2 since barriers activated and I wanted to use the lifts. I scanned my eticket ok to exit the platform 2 area but then had to get staff to let me through a further two barriers to access the lift - did I miss an obvious alternative route to the lifts?
The image of Stansted Airport station on the NR website (
https://images.nationalrail.co.uk/e...d7051bbd56b59841f6a9f6bde9944f3c/Stansted.jpg) is a bit useless as it doesn't show the barriers and shows stuff like cafes which don't exist/ are in very different locations.
However, you can see there are only two sets of lifts to the station.
The right-most lifts next to the ticket office are only generally available for departing train passengers as the gateline next to the toilets is in only for those entering the station and not exiting.
The second set of lifts (more mid-platform) has its own dedicated gateline.
The main exiting gateline (around the access ramp/ tickets/ escalator symbol) doesn't have any lift access. Just the escalator and the ramp.
My guess is you left platform 2 and went to that first gateline you saw in that direction. There is no lift there - just an escalator and ramp. You then asked the staff how to use the lift. As there was none in that area, they had to escort you back into the paid area through the gateline and then back out through the gateline next to the lifts.
There's a very obvious alternative which is signposted. You just keep walking next to track 1/ 3 and you can walk the full length of the station.
