The start of a new project to install further ticket gates at stations on the Tyne and Wear Metro has got underway at Regent Centre. This is part of a £2.1 million project being funded through the North East Mayor budget. A study is also taking place to identify further stations which could benefit from the gates.
The object of the installation at Regent Centre is both tackle ticketless travel as well as improving safety, especially for women and girls. More than 1.3 million passengers every year will pass through these new gates, which will be fully staffed by Metro’s customer service team. These are the first new gates to be installed in more than a decade.
Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor, said: “Everyone should feel safe when using public transport but sadly I know that too often this isn’t the reality, particularly for women and girls I speak to. I promised to put ticket barriers and staff at more Metro stations and now we have committed the money to do that.
“I’m pleased to see work starting so there will be barriers at Regent Centre by the end of this year. This is just the start of our multi-million pound investment to make public transport safer by replacing unwanted old bus shelters right across the North East, putting in better lighting and updating CCTV.”
Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus, added: ““I’m delighted to confirm that the installation of new ticket gates on Metro is underway, supporting North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’ pledge to make public transport safer. The focus of this phase of the scheme is Regent Centre Metro station near Newcastle, which will be getting new ticket gates installed. This will help to make this busy suburban station more secure and help us to lower Metro fare evasion.
“A feasibility study will identify which other stations on the Metro system would be suitable for the installation of new ticket gates. It will determine how many stations will be incorporated into the programme, with considerations including safety, security, revenue protection and optimum value for money.
“At present, 13 out of our 60 stations have ticket gates. These include the busiest stations on Metro and it means that, in normal circumstances, 75% of customers must pass through a ticket gate either at the start or end of their journey. New ticket gates help us to safely control customer flow and access to stations. This increases security and safety allowing only those travelling on Metro to access the platform.”
Currently there are ticket gates at Airport, Central, Gateshead, Haymarket, Heworth, Jesmond, Manors, Monument, North Shields, South Shields, Chichester, St James, and Byker.