A long-serving Tyne and Wear Metro worker is about to retire after 40 years repairing ticket machines across the network. Alex Carr, 60, who manages the Nexus Automatic Fare Collection team. will retire on 1st December after four decades of maintaining the ticket machines and gates lines.
Over the years, Alex has managed the first generation of analogue Metro ticket machines, before playing a key role in the transition to the current digital ones, along with the new automatic ticket gates, which came into use in 2012. Recent challenges have included keeping the ticket machines running during the Covid-19 pandemic and putting in many hours of hard work to ensure they were ready to accept the new polymer bank notes when they were introduced.
Alex said: ““I’m proud to have looked after these ticket machines over so many years. I’ve been a small but important cog in the wheel to ensure that the Metro keeps running. I know these ticket machines so well, they’re like my children. I’ve become fond of them. I know all their little quirks.
“Forty years is a long time to focus just on ticket machines, but I’ve loved it. You know that you’re playing such an important role, not only safeguarding vital ticket revenue but ensuring customers aren’t inconvenienced. Without ticket machines you don’t really have a railway.
“It’s an emotional farewell. I’ve been part of the story of Metro, which has been great for the north east and has really revolutionised local public transport when it opened. When I started, we had old French-made ticket machines, which were electro-mechanical and only accepted coins. We used to look after all of the change machines too, which was also vital back then as the ticket machines didn’t accept cards or notes. After the new generation of machines came in it became much more software based, so you often fix them with a laptop instead of with a screwdriver.
“We have seen a good few challenges over the years, not least working through lockdown out on the Metro system, and making sure that we had all the ticket machines ready for the new bank notes with King Charles on.
“I’ve got a great team here who work ever so hard. I’ll miss them and I’ll miss the job, but it’s time to let someone else have a go.”
John Fenwick, Director of Finance and Resources at Nexus, said: “Alex has given us outstanding service over the last four decades. Our ticket machines, gate lines and validators across the network process millions of transactions each year and play an integral part in protecting Metro’s revenue. Alex’s knowledge of our ticket machines is second to none and he will be a big miss. He’s been a great servant to Nexus and we wish him well for the future.”