South Street Park (Train Station barriers) parade today - Sat 17th Sept.

[ShefStealth 10]

A news report on Look North last night stated that a letter from the Transport Secretary to Nick Clegg had been seen and leaked. This letter supposedly suggests that the Train Station barrier issue has not gone away and that Nick Clegg apparently also supports the installation of the barriers!

 

On the surface, it could be suggested that last year this issue was just brushed under the carpet so as to progress the redevelopment of the Park Hill estate. Now that this redevelopment is fundamentally completed, they're wanting to press forward with the barrier idea again and essentially cut off access to the station and the city from the supertram stop at the rear of the station, and from Park Hill. This is counter-intuitive even from a business perspective as Stagecoach now run both Supertram and EMT which runs Sheffield Station, but EMT got the franchise to run the Midland Mainline partly by stating that their intentions were to bring ticket barriers back to all major stations along the route. Sheffield just happens to be the last one on that list.

 

EMT believe that it is their right to close this bridge to all but train ticket holders. They are not listening to the position that the bridge and station redevelopment were part funded by multiple revenue streams including Sheffield City Council, SYPTE, Yorkshire Forward and Network Rail. Their position is that the lack of barriers at Sheffield is costing them upto £2Million per year.

 

You may have heard that this issue was put to rest as the Council ruled that the barriers may not be errected due to them not being in keeping with the station building (as it is listed) - while the article was correct with that, it's tone that the matter was closed was WRONG! EMT are still trying to progress this matter however they can, this time via the politicians further up the chain.

 

If you believe that the station bridge should remain open and accessable to all (after all, somewhere down the line it is of course Sheffield residents who have helped to fund it!) then please come down to the parade being attended by RASC ("Residents Against Station Closure" http://www.rasc-sheffield.com ) which starts at the entrance to Sheffield Hallam University in Hallam Square (just off Arundel Gate, opposite the Millenium Galleries) at 11.30am today where a walk will take place upto the new South Street Park (the new amphitheater at the rear of Sheffield train station) The parade will also be to celebrate the opening of South Street Park, which would be more isolated if the bridge were to become gated entry only.

 

Despite the recurrent rain today, hope to see you there!

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

Only 3 years left on EMT's franchise. If Sheffield can fight them off till then, hopefully the far superior Midland Mainline (National Express) will return.

[swordfish1 10]

I saw the protest and took photos. Well done for the 12 that turned up

[chem1st 10]

I thought this was put to rest.

 

Why don't they build a new bridge to replace the rundown one instead of wasting money trying to steal a public bridge.

 

That's a public right of way.

 

Stagecoach wan't nationalising. They are subsidised by the state for crying out loud, and they seek to charge ever higher, whilst trying to steal land from the taxpayer and making record profits.

[ShefStealth 10]

Thanks to all who attended the parade yesterday in any capacity, to march or notice and take pictures. Whilst the numbers were smaller than have been seen at previous events, I figure this is partly to do with that a majority of people now believe that the issue is all sorted, which unfortunately isn't the case.

 

Why don't they build a new bridge to replace the rundown one instead of wasting money trying to steal a public bridge.

Because it's all about the money in the first place. Nobody wants to spend the money in upgrading a second bridge to cope with the volumes of foot and wheel traffic that are created from alighting supertram passengers, Sheffield College students, Park hill residents etc. The other footbridge that's further down towards the college is old, rusting, grafitti tagged up and is too narrow with no step free access for the disabled or pushchairs etc. Despite that it's just no way near as convenient and the whole principle of the thing. If anyone were to renovate or create a secondary bridge, it would still be the general populous that end up funding it by some means or other, and why should we have to when we have already done that for the first perfectly adequate bridge?

 

 

That's a public right of way.

This is a common misconception. When SYPTE and the council got together with what's now Network Rail on the issue of train station access when the Supertram was on the drawing board, it was discussed to build an extention of the existing rail station bridge over Platform 8 to accomodate this as part of the station bridge redevelopment and renewal works. Way before this bridge renewal work, access to that bridge was via Platform one and gated ticket barrier entry - you used to have to buy platform tickets to see people off or greet people on the platforms or just to see the trains, or show your ticket just to get onto the platforms and bridge to get to your train. At the time, there were good arguments for removing the ticket barriers i.e slowing down passenger transit through the station and health and safety (There were only 4 metal turnstyles and the manned "platform ticket" booths were all wooden, along with the stairs which posed a significant fire risk, especially in light of the Kings Cross escalator fires previously - this led to a health and safety review which suggested the removal of wooden escalators and stair cases)

 

The trouble is, when the bridge was redeveloped it wasn't forseen to write it in as a public right of way even though public sector money had been used to redevelop the bridge and the station approach at the front of the building. Railtrack/Network Rail retained ownership of it so that they could close the station at night. This should not have been a problem as the Supertram also coincidentally shutdown around midnight when the last regular passenger services had stopped also and the University buildings would also be closed. The argument also being that if it were turned into a right of way, then the rail station needs to be kept open 24/7/365 and it would cost extra money to police it, with potentially more incidences of tresspass on the rails at the station during the quiet hours when staffing levels would drop off significantly.

 

Stagecoach wan't nationalising. They are subsidised by the state for crying out loud, and they seek to charge ever higher, whilst trying to steal land from the taxpayer and making record profits.

Actually Stagecoach owns EMT who are just a rail franchisee who operate certain routes and have to abide by certain ticket prices that are set out by the Department of Transport/Network Rail. As part of that agreement, they are licenced to operate and manage the key stations along these routes. The actual buildings and infrastructures are still owned by Network Rail who are accountable to the Department of Transport (and the Transport Secretary) To keep their franchise and have better hopes at successful continuation of the franchise at any future retendering, they have to do what was set out in their proposals when they submitted their tender to win the franchise. Part of that submission was that they would introduce revenue protection mechanisms in the form of barriers at the key stations, and again this is what the fight comes back to.

 

EMT have successfully installed ticket barriers at all key stations except Sheffield. They are pushing hard to introduce them here not only because it's what Network Rail wants, but also because they see that if they don't get to install some cost effective revenue protection mechanisms here then it could have a detrimental impact on their chances of franchise renewal when it comes back around.

 

It pretty much always boils down to the money.

[go4it 10]

they see that if they don't get to install some cost effective revenue protection mechanisms here then it could have a detrimental impact on their chances of franchise renewal when it comes back around.

 

It pretty much always boils down to the money.

 

Of course it does. I sat on a EMT train once with 2 lazy, drunk, wastes of spaces who were planning to get a free ride to Chesterfield as they had spent all their money on booze. On such a long train with only one ticket inspector they managed it.

[go4it 10]

it's just no way near as convenient

 

Basically boils down to laziness.

 

Laziness and stupidity - the cause of many problems we see today.

 

'I want this' because 'I'm too lazy' to do it another way.

 

'It's my bridge', 'I may not work due to an ingrowing toe-nail but my great-great grandad once had a paper round when he was 14 so he chipped into the pot, meaning I have a right to cross the bridge.'

[Walkley Dave 10]

I would like to see how the so-called £2,000,000 loss is broken down into figures _ or made up of course.

 

I assume someone with a senior citizen rail pass can just say - I am catching a train.

[ShefStealth 10]

Basically boils down to laziness.

 

Laziness and stupidity - the cause of many problems we see today.

 

'I want this' because 'I'm too lazy' to do it another way.'

 

So just as a for instance, you're on your way to Manchester airport and have left your car at home as you're travelling there by train anyway and don't want to use airport car parking facilities (costs etc.) You've taken the tram to the train station and are expecting to use the fast ticket machines to pick up your pre-booked train tickets to get to the airport. You get there, and are then told that because you have no ticket actually in your posession, you can't use the bridge. The attendants (if they're available 'cos hey, why would they be needed if there are automated electric barriers in place?) won't accept your "reference number" that you wrote down or might have in text on your mobile. You're honestly going to walk with a suitcase (Wheely or not) all the way around down the other knackered footbridge, adding maybe 20 minutes to your travel time and being inconvenienced just to prove a point that you're not lazy... Forgive me for saying but that's cutting your nose off to spite your face. You've paid for your ticket, you should have a right to use the bridge - EMT have no plans or intentions to install fast ticket machines or ticket booths at the Supertram side of the bridge either.

 

Or as another example, the lone young woman coming back from Sheffield College to the bus station to get home after an evening class. Why should she have to walk back and take a more dangerous route, especially if she's purchased a supertram ticket to a tramstop that says "Sheffield station/Hallam University" (you would think you'd have a right to get directly to Hallam Uni from that tramstop) and could use a bridge that's properly lit and covered with CCTV and the transport police if she ran into any difficulties. Convenience does not always equal lazyness - unless you never have cause to use the train station because you're always in gridlock in your car...

Edited September 18, 2011 by ShefStealth
typo/spelling

[HeadingNorth 11]

I don't think there is any doubt that the bridge needs to have ticket barriers at both ends.

 

The problem then is where are non-train-users supposed to go. There needs to be a good-quality bridge linking Park Hill to the bus station; if this one isn't it, then there needs to be another one.

 

Perhaps EMT should be allowed to install barriers and billed for the cost to the public of building the bridge, if it's no longer to be public access. Then the money they pay could be used to upgrade one of the other two.

[ShefStealth 10]

Of course it does. I sat on a EMT train once with 2 lazy, drunk, wastes of spaces who were planning to get a free ride to Chesterfield as they had spent all their money on booze. On such a long train with only one ticket inspector they managed it.

 

See that's the difference of why Chesterfield needs barriers, and where Sheffield has other issues - The number of EMT staff on board trains should not be that much of an issue. For the express to St Pancras, Chesterfield is the only station that's only 10 minutes away from another station. Derby to Chesterfield is 20 minutes but then Derby to Leicester is a half hour and Leicester to London is an hour. There's plenty of time between stops to be "picked up" and the fact that Chesterfield now has barriers means that fare evaders wouldn't be able to exit the station there without getting caught anyway.

 

In effect, just having one barrierless station and the rest being barriered means that there's a sort of "herd immunity" going on anyway and fare evasion is going to be less prevelent. You get on at Sheffield without a ticket, you should just get caught somewhere else along the journey

[Captain_Scarlet 10]

Basically boils down to laziness.

If Stagecoach were that bothered about fare dodgers they'd check tickets on trains with a little more zeal.