Waiting room opening hours

[TUC]

Is there a consistent approach to when station waiting rooms are open ( such as them only being open at times when the station is staffed)?

My question arises because I found the waiting room at New Pudsey locked today and, on checking online, was advised that it is only open during hours when the booking office is open.

Given that the latter is closed all day on Sunday, so is the waiting room. I could understand this approach if the waiting room had items in which could be stolen or damaged but, aside from the wheelchair ramp, it only had metal seats screwed down to the floor. (Having the ramp locked in there does raise a separate question of what if it was needed to be deployed outside of booking office hours?).

All in all it seemed little more than what is in open shelters in some other stations, so the rationale for locking it was not immediately clear.

 

[cin88]

Its likely to prevent vandalism or anti social behaviour during times when the station isn't staffed. Trains carry their own assistance ramps so the station's being behind a locked door isn't usually an issue.

 

[Coleridge]

It's a combination of the UK rail industry's unfriendly attitude towards its customers and the great British public's tendency to vandalise anything that is unattended.

 

[TUC]

Its likely to prevent vandalism or anti social behaviour during times when the station isn't staffed. Trains carry their own assistance ramps so the station's being behind a locked door isn't usually an issue.

I get the vandalism issue, but my point was that, the ramp aside, there didn't seem much that was capable of being vandalised that isn't in open shelters elsewhere.

I recognise that Northern trains carry their own ramps, but that does beg the question of why there is a station one as well (and why this one is locked away when they are in open station areas in some other places)?

 

[JulienD]

The ticket office at Henley-on-Thames closes at 13h! I think they should open it later and thus close it around 16h30 when all the college students have left.

 

[bramling]

I get the vandalism issue, but my point was that, the ramp aside, there didn't seem much that was capable of being vandalised that isn't in open shelters elsewhere.

It isn’t just vandalism, but some of the activities people get up to in there. Never underestimate just how troublesome elements of the population are.

I agree it isn’t ideal to penalise everyone, however it’s a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t, there isn’t much point in having the room available if people are afraid of going in there because there’s a gang doing drugs inside, or whatever.

 

[74A]

Also stops people sleeping in there overnight.

 

[Qwerty133]

I get the vandalism issue, but my point was that, the ramp aside, there didn't seem much that was capable of being vandalised that isn't in open shelters elsewhere.

I recognise that Northern trains carry their own ramps, but that does beg the question of why there is a station one as well (and why this one is locked away when they are in open station areas in some other places)?

For the most part station staff use the station ramps and on board staff use on board ramps. This speeds up the boarding process as the ramp can be put back away once the train has departed and reduces the risk of a member of station staff being on board.

 

[saismee]

Also stops people sleeping in there overnight.

I think this is the main reason, unfortunately. But yes, spray paint would likely be all over the walls quite fast if they left it open.

 

[dk1]

I think this is the main reason, unfortunately. But yes, spray paint would likely be all over the walls quite fast if they left it open.

Sadly like most things in this life the minority spoil it for the majority.

 

[saismee]

Sadly like most things in this life the minority spoil it for the majority.

Same reason the bathrooms are locked up after X o'clock. Not particularly helpful if you're waiting for the last train and having to dance on the platform.

 

[Belperpete]

The same happens at Machynlleth, the waiting room and toilets close at 8pm when the station staff go off duty, even though the train crew office on the platform is still open. And there is a later booked hour-long connection for passengers travelling to Pwllheli.

As I discovered one winter evening. In sub zero temperatures, with snow on the ground and a bitter wind blowing straight down the platform, with no platform shelter, it was not the best place for a couple of pensioners to wait an hour and a half (as that evening the Pwllheli train was an extra 30 minutes late). The best the staff locking the waiting room could advise was to go and wait in the petrol station down on the main road.

We decided to trek into the town centre to one of the pubs, but it was a slow trek on the icy pavements. And we felt we needed to be back for the booked departure time, just in case it made up time. So we still had half an hour in the exposed conditions.

I felt that deliberately exposing a couple of pensioners to these kind of conditions showed a callous lack of care for their customers, so I raised a complaint. If the timetable has a booked hour-long connection, then they must expect people to be waiting there for that long, and need to make adequate provision. Their response was that the waiting room opening times are advertised on the website.

 

[bramling]

The same happens at Machynlleth, the waiting room and toilets close at 8pm when the station staff go off duty, even though the train crew office on the platform is still open. And there is a later booked hour-long connection for passengers travelling to Pwllheli.

As I discovered one winter evening. In sub zero temperatures, with snow on the ground and a bitter wind blowing straight down the platform, with no platform shelter, it was not the best place for a couple of pensioners to wait an hour and a half (as that evening the Pwllheli train was an extra 30 minutes late). The best the staff locking the waiting room could advise was to go and wait in the petrol station down on the main road.

We decided to trek into the town centre to one of the pubs, but it was a slow trek on the icy pavements. And we felt we needed to be back for the booked departure time, just in case it made up time. So we still had half an hour in the exposed conditions.

I felt that deliberately exposing a couple of pensioners to these kind of conditions showed a callous lack of care for their customers, so I raised a complaint. If the timetable has a booked hour-long connection, then they must expect people to be waiting there for that long, and need to make adequate provision. Their response was that the waiting room opening times are advertised on the website.

That’s pretty poor for a quite major station with interchange traffic.

Does Mach suffer from anti-social behaviour issues? Wouldn’t have thought it would have massive issues, but don’t know the place that well.

 

[TUC]

What would help is if there was a least a shelter as well as the waiting room, so that the latter could be used if the former is closed, but in the case of New Pudsey (and I suspect various other stations) it is all or nothing.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

The same happens at Machynlleth, the waiting room and toilets close at 8pm when the station staff go off duty, even though the train crew office on the platform is still open. And there is a later booked hour-long connection for passengers travelling to Pwllheli.

As I discovered one winter evening. In sub zero temperatures, with snow on the ground and a bitter wind blowing straight down the platform, with no platform shelter, it was not the best place for a couple of pensioners to wait an hour and a half (as that evening the Pwllheli train was an extra 30 minutes late). The best the staff locking the waiting room could advise was to go and wait in the petrol station down on the main road.

I had a similar one at Machynlleth a while back, travelling from Aberystwyth to Pwllheli.

The 2107 arrival from Aberystwyth terminates there, and the same unit then forms the 2147 to Pwllheli.
Except the train crew wouldn't allow passengers to stay aboard the nice warm 158 (left with engines running), instead we got kicked off onto the platform to wait in the cold, only to re-board the same train 40 minutes later!

TfW tend to be one of the more pragmatic TOCs, so this surprised me. Nobody's going to be nicking a 158 and going for a joyride up the Cambrian, especially with the train crew office right next to it.

 

[fraser158]

It’s quite galling on some lines to see magnificent (former) station buildings and all the public get is a draughty bus shelter.

 

[Trackman]

The 2107 arrival from Aberystwyth terminates there, and the same unit then forms the 2147 to Pwllheli.
Except the train crew wouldn't allow passengers to stay aboard the nice warm 158 (left with engines running), instead we got kicked off onto the platform to wait in the cold, only to re-board the same train 40 minutes later!

I am not familar with the service, but was there a crew change or were due for break as they couldnt leave the unit unattended?

 

[LittleRedTrain]

I am not familar with the service, but was there a crew change or were due for break as they couldnt leave the unit unattended?

It's a crew change/break I believe, but it's still a daft policy to kick everyone off the train into the cold and lock it up, but leave it with engines running and in sight of the crew room.
This is rural mid-Wales, not exactly a city centre hotspot for vandalism and terrorist activities.

I know there is a big discrepancy between TOC policies about letting passengers onto unattended units instead of making them wait in the cold. Nigel Harris (former editor of RAIL magazine) has been very much on a personal quest about this over recent years.

 

[nanstallon]

Also stops people sleeping in there overnight.

With so many people homelss these days, perhaps we shouldn't obsess about the less fortunate members of society finding somewhere to sleep. Not doing any harm.

 

[TUC]

With so many people homelss these days, perhaps we shouldn't obsess about the less fortunate members of society finding somewhere to sleep. Not doing any harm.

Sorry, that is naivety. Would you want to be a woman waiting alone for a train at 0600 and finding some random bloke sleeping there?

 

[nanstallon]

Pathetic. The paying public are such a nuisance.

 

[AlterEgo]

Pathetic. The paying public are such a nuisance.

If the waiting rooms were left open for people to piss, smoke and fornicate in you'd be on here dropping your usual little misery bombs about that too.

 

[nanstallon]

If the waiting rooms were left open for people to piss, smoke and fornicate in you'd be on here dropping your usual little misery bombs about that too.

I was referring to the post about people going from Aberystwyth to Pwllheli being turfed off the train for 40 minutes. British customer service; not my misery bomb!

 

[6Gman]

I was referring to the post about people going from Aberystwyth to Pwllheli being turfed off the train for 40 minutes. British customer service; not my misery bomb!

It's not about customer service. It's about practicality. And cost.

 

[najaB]

It's a crew change/break I believe, but it's still a daft policy to kick everyone off the train into the cold and lock it up, but leave it with engines running and in sight of the crew room.

If I had to guess it's because, with the engines running, there's a non-zero chance of a fire starting with no crew on board to notice or direct passengers to evacuate.

 

[bramling]

With so many people homelss these days, perhaps we shouldn't obsess about the less fortunate members of society finding somewhere to sleep. Not doing any harm.

And then when the room stinks of body odour to the point where it is effectively no longer available for its intended purpose?

 

[mickey]

The ticket office at Henley-on-Thames closes at 13h! I think they should open it later and thus close it around 16h30 when all the college students have left.

The GWR ones are weirdly inconsistent. Twyford has completely random hours such that you should expect it always closed and be pleasantly surprised if it’s not. They lock the toilets too which is very annoying. But at Slough - arguably much more at risk of anti-social behaviour - the delightful old NSE waiting room is open 24 hours, and very welcome for it.

 

[styles]

With so many people homelss these days, perhaps we shouldn't obsess about the less fortunate members of society finding somewhere to sleep. Not doing any harm.

While I sympathise with this, I don't believe the solution to homelessness lies with railways providing unattended and unmonitored cold rooms to sleep in. It's not good for the people sleeping rough because many of these waiting rooms only have one entrance/exit and if they get known for sleeping there then they're a prime target for abuse and threatening behaviour which they can't escape from. They're usually cold rooms with no heating and no plug sockets. And ultimately it isn't the railway's responsibility - it is however the responsibility of the railway to ensure people using the railways are safe.

The solutions to rough sleeping lie with local and national government and a number of arms length organisations tasked with various pieces of the problem, not the likes of East Midlands Railway.

 

[Fokx]

With so many people homelss these days, perhaps we shouldn't obsess about the less fortunate members of society finding somewhere to sleep. Not doing any harm.

They started locking up Wakefield Kirkgate's new waiting shelter at night because a homeless man was using it as a place to sleep in winter.

They closed said waiting shelter at night due to passenger complaints about used drug paraphernalia and sharps left on the floor in the waiting room.

The waiting room was then locked up after being open in the daytime and said homeless person returned and was verbally abusive and threatening to passing traincrew and smashed the windows of said shelter putting it out of use for any passengers for a few months.