Nottingham train station side entrance to be closed to clamp down on fare dodgers

An entrance to Nottingham Railway Station will be closed next week as railway bosses try to clamp down on fare dodgers. The access point, situated in Station Street, is frequently used by passengers as it offers an effective shortcut to the platforms.

East Midlands Railway (EMR), which manages the station, said the closure was a pilot and will be in place from Monday, October 28. The railway company said access to all platforms would be restricted, with passengers being required to use the main entrance.

The right of way connecting Station Street and Queen's Road will be maintained, as well as access to the tram. Philippa Cresswell, customer service director at EMR, said the changes had been forced by people evading train fares.

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"Sadly, there is a minority of determined people who think they can travel for free and have been using the overhead bridge to avoid paying," she said. "We have a duty to protect revenue – which is ultimately taxpayers' money and fare-paying customer's money – and have been forced to take this action to prevent access to the platforms via the station's footbridge.

"The pilot will commence on Monday, October 28, and customers are advised to allow extra time to walk through the station when catching their services." EMR said it had carried out three recent revenue operations at the station that revealed the level of ticketless travel through the station.

It said: "While these operations produced good results, they were particularly resource-intensive due to the station layout. As a result, the cost of conducting them outweighed the revenue gained, making them unsustainable in the long term."