Auckland Transport have said that they are considering gating up to nine additional rail stations
An AT spokesman said it was hoped a proposal to install gates at nine more stations would address the issues.
Britomart, Newmarket and Manukau stations are gated – where only people with valid tickets can enter and exit – with New Lynn set to join the list this month.
“Gating is being considered at a further nine stations subject to business cases and funding. The stations currently gated, including New Lynn, account for 79 per cent of all passenger trips.
“If we extended gating to another nine stations we would cover 98.48 per cent of passenger trips.”
This is in response to the story that police have been starting to issues being caused at some stations along with fare evasion. I’ve definitely seen the police start to take more notice as had been noticing them on the platform at Henderson in particular where there are often large groups of people milling around but who aren’t there to catch trains.
Other than New Lynn which is mentioned as having its gates go live this month, it’s not quite clear exactly which other stations that AT might gate. Based on current developments plus information we saw last year it would suggest that some of the top candidates would to be gated are:
- Grafton
- Henderson
- Mt Albert
- Parnell
- Otahuhu
- Panmure
Other very busy stations that AT include
- Ellerslie
- Glen Innes
- Manurewa
- Papakura
- Papatoetoe
- Sylvia Park
The biggest issue with gating ends up being the cost. Not only is there the cost to install the gates but they also need to be manned to stop people just jumping over them and that could add significant extra operational costs. To give some perspective I’ve heard figures of over $400k per station per year to operate them, for many stations that could be far more expensive than the value of the fare evasion they prevent. That would eat into the funds available to run actual services.
It would be good for AT to provide some more information about their plans around providing better security, reducing fare evasion and station gating in the future.
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New gates need not necessarily be manned. Gates will ensure compliance for the majority. Existing on-board inspectors as well as maybe more inspectors at the exits of key destinations, and perhaps accompanied by police from time to time, should be sufficient and cost less.
Who do gated stations NEED to be manned? You still have ticket inspectors. You are simply making it a bit harder to get on/off w/o ticket. Sure, manning them is best, but as you say, the costs can be prohibtive (at places like Grafton you might need four different gatelines!)
While there is the ability to purchase tickets that are not machine readable from the ticket machines, there is a requirement for someone to be there to let those people onto the platforms,
IMHO AT made a mistake by not investing in machines that prodcuce achine readable single use tickets, and I think it is something that will eventually be re-visited as gating on the network spreads….
Remind me again; what is a ‘ticket’?
One of these
https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/fares-discounts/how-to-pay-for-public-transport/ticket-top-up-machines/#how
Yes, it was pretty stupid to not have magnetic strip tickets for cash fares. With the current system, they HAVE to have someone there to let these people through.
The other option is go the Melbourne way and abolish cash fares completely (myki is compulsory on all trains and buses, although I’m not sure about buses)
With AT Hop usage at 71% and climbing, I think there are more important things to worry about than making special provision for the declining proportion of non-card users – like making travelling without a ticket a criminal offence, akin to theft, as in many other jurisdictions.
New gates have to be manned in case there is a problem or issue and a customer needs help.
I have seen people get stuck and confused at gated stations in the UK for a whole raft of reasons.
What they can also do to reduce costs is to open them up non-peak. So they are only manned say 7am to 8pm which will cut costs.
At Kings Cross in London I know they gates are just open at least after 10pm every night and they become like the other ungated stations on the network.
On train with wife last night back from Britomart (8:42pm train). Bunch of teenage girls get on at Glen Innes, the Maori Warden tells them they must start buying tickets some day (plus a couple of guys already on the train from somewhere). Off they have to get at Panmure, probably where they wanted to get off. They seemed not fussed and had done it many times before.
Some passengers are freeriders and won’t ever pay for a ticket. A trio of glue-huffing teenage girls got on the train at Avondale the other night, and were kicked off by the train manager at Glen Eden for not having a ticket. First time I’d seen a train manager act to remove non-paying passengers.
But even if all of the stations in Matt’s post were gated, the trio wouldn’t be caught (they were intending to disembark at Ranui)
I saw someone in the driver’s compartment burst out at Penrose and block the door a few weeks ago. I giggled all the way to Puhinui.
And sadly gates will need manned – I used the gate at Manukau and when I got to Puhinui minutes later the post told me I was tagging on. Make of that what you will.
Staffing stations isn’t always the most expensive option: for example, Auckland Transport have put a guard at the Morningside Drive level crossing almost permanently instead of doing anything that would actually make the crossing safer…
Not familiar with stations outside the Western Line, but I’d say Henderson, New Lynn, and Mt Albert would be obvious candidates for gating – they have very defined (and covered) entry points.
Grafton pretty much always has a guard posted as well currently.
New Lynn is in the process of having gates installed.
Isn’t New Lynn already staffed at all times anyway? So they wouldn’t need to add anymore if so. Just put the gates by the ticket office, they can assist when necessary.
That’s what they’ve done.
How does $400k compare to the cost of guards riding the trains?
Certainly confrontations with some of those non-paying passengers is not pretty and is not nice to be party to.
Are there any other options as this cost seems very high for the likely recovery.
I notice many of the riders seem to get on at less frequented stations and off at one just a short distance down the line. eg Takanini to Manurewa or Otahuhu
I kinda hope they don’t gate Mt Eden. I walk across the platform regularly to get from my place to the gym because it saves a several minute detour, but never actually catch a train from there. Perhaps I’m not supposed to be doing this? I know in the UK you technically have to have a ticket to even walk on the platform.
I doubt it due to relatively low passenger boardings and alightings. However that will eventually change I imagine when the redeveloped Mt Eden station gets built for the CRL.
You can tag on and tag off as you leave – do it within 10 minutes and you don’t get charged anything.
Of course you need a HOP card first.
But AT signs warn you need a ticket or a tagged on HOP card to be on the platform these days, so you could be pinged even without gating being in place.
That’s good to know that it’s free in that case, I wasn’t aware of that. I do actually have a HOP card.
I assumed it was like London where if you enter and exit via the same station, you are charged something even it’s just for a minute or two.
In London if you enter and exit a station within approx 10 mins you don’t get charged as it assumes you have missed a train.
1) Yes gate them all….stop fare evasion pretty much pays for it if not earns more.
2) Doesn’t need to be manned could have a CCTV setup and a help button (something that should be there anyway) to call, remotely opening the gates where need be.
3) Whats $400k when vandals cause millions of dollars of damage?
4) Safety… less criminal element on trains means safer for public = more public wanting to use PT
5) More seats for people who are actually paying rather than fare evaders.
This could also mean redeveloping train stations as they time goes by so that they look like those in Asian countries or London. In particular Asian countries like Hong Kong and Japan where they have stores in their stations
In Melbourne here, I cut through a gated station as a (lazy) way of getting to the supermarket. It cuts a few mins off my walk. I go thru one pair of gates. When I tag off at the other side, it cancels the initial tag on, so I don’t get charged anything. Do the same thing on the way back. I’m sure HOP has something similar (ie if you miss your train, change your mind etc). I think with myki it’s 15mins.
Just gate them all. I have often been penalised for momentary memory lapses, which I find very unfair on a very loyal public transport patron. Join the rest of the world!!!
Ummm, most commuter rail systems DONT have every single station gated, just the transfer/busy ones. It’s impractical to gate all stations.
Halleluha! Parnell on the list? Not even built yet, but I guess they may be able to plan for gates in its design, for a change. Gate em all. Avondale should be on the list.
Would prefer to see Avondale grade separated before Auckland Transport gates it. It always slightly appals me that given Avondale’s potential it still attracts really low passenger numbers. I suspect among the reasons for these low numbers are a surprising number of local residents are unaware of its existence, half its natural catchment is severed by the pedestrian-unfriendly traffic sewer that is Blockhouse Bay Road and there are no legible and frequent feeder bus routes from, say, the entire Rosebank peninsula.
It certainly is a traffic sewer. I walk along the Rosebank Rd area 3 days a week from the station. Am very careful of the traffic. Looking forward to the western line electric trains on Monday!
Parnell will be difficult with its suboptimal side platforms. But is is important as, like Grafton, it can be used to dodge the gates at Britomart. Especially for Uni.
Dobermans.
Now you’re talking!
Gates might work at Panmure, but the kids just walk across the track at Glenn Innes so gates would be of little use. Abusing the ticket inspector seems to be part of a fun day out.
Couple of cops and a trespass notice….but I guess they’re too busy with checkpointing sideroads.
Instead of guards, could they not ring the stations with 6ft high swimming pool type fences, with turnstyle type gates at the entrances. There will an initial cost, but the costs of eliminating security guards and fare dodging would probably cover the costs over a year or so
You left out the moat with the sharks in it.
Fare dodgers are annoying but the only deterrent that will work for the most determined is the police. How feasible is that?
Certain stations *cough* Henderson *cough* would probably require turnstile-type gates for effective enforcement. I can see people just jumping standard gates without a second thought.
Could install surveillance cam and make it very noticeable with warning signs to scare them off.
Have a single person constantly monitoring the cameras and notify the nearby guard if somebody jumps the gate.
A guard can hide somewhere near the station randomly.
The nearby guard doesn’t have to be there all the time.
It is kind of a random check, or an educated random check.
That would also solve the problem of vandalism and all sort of other security issues.
plenty of cctv cameras manned by an office somewhere that can alert revenue protection, police or security guards to problem areas asap.
Stations are well covered by CCTV as it is. You can’t stray too close to the tracks without getting told off over the PA.
How about those gates in Paris?
All the way up to the ceiling so no way to jump over, and made of some damn hard steel.
I’ve seen in other countries that the metro is gated at every station but only some are manned permanently. They also have ticket inspections as one leaves from time to time.
Manurewa would need four gates or else the two smaller exits could be closed.
Stations should be as accessible (in the wider sense) as possible, and making them harder to get into/out of by closing entrances does just the opposite.
The problem with gates is that they are a massive hindrance for any one with luggage or disabled. If you add unmanned gates then you can forget about extending the rail line to the airport as it would be too awkward to use when traveling unless using a backpack.
Go to any other major city with an airport line and they almost always have gates. They just tend to be much wider, it’s no issue. Sydney is gated from first to last train. There’s no gate attendant, although there is a ticket office right beside it (so I assume staff can assist if need be). An airport station is bound to busy, so it would be staffed at all times.
At one of the train stations at Narita in Tokyo, there’s a bit of a walk between the platform and the gates. You can actually pick up an airport luggage trolley in the platform, a few tens of metres from your train, and wheel your bags right through the gate, which is of course wide enough for a luggage trolley. Just keep going to the check-in counter without breaking your stride. Sorted!
Uh as someone who regularly catches the train in brisbane to the airport, gates are no barrier to luggage or wheelchairs. They have special over sized gates.
98.48 of all passenger trips? Are they joking? They would have to gate more than 9 more stations to get that.
That would be more or less the busiest 13 of 40 stations gated. Trips aren’t evenly distributed, people basically don’t take the train between suburbs, the take it from suburb to centre and back. Gate the centres and you capture almost all trips.
Nick, yes many of the trips on the rail network currently are to the city centre and back but once a supermarket goes in next to Otahuhu Station for example (on the land currently leased to CSL), that all changes and far more short trips within suburbs, will be made. The trench Manurewa Station currently sits in may well get covered over within the next 15 years and built on top of, making that station too, a ‘destination’ rather than just a pass-through.
It is obvious that many platforms are not suited to gates and this raises the huge flaw in the honesty ticketing system. Given rates have sky rocketed and Auckland Council are clearly short of money they cannot expect ratepayers to foot the bill for fare evaders on trains along with the anti social behaviour and damage to trains that has accompanied it. The immediate solution is to bring back on board fare collection to supplement the current half arse system. I know for a fact fare evasion is far worse than official figures claim, especially at certain times.
are people not paying for their tickets?
They don’t even have tickets, its a charity on behalf of Auckland’s ratepayers
I hate gates. Gates inconvenience everyone, whether fare-evader or not. They are the barrier to keep the barbarians out, rather than the posse to deal with the barbarians. A coping strategy, not a solution.
I would much rather there be roving security teams which deal with fare-evasion and other undesirable phenomena on public transport (and elsewhere) effectively. But they need to have teeth and be resourced to do their job.
Is there anyway to add the unticketed rides to the statistics (eg those observed on CCTV) so the problem could be quantified?
It would be nice if all stations were between the tracks and that would make control more easily maintained, especially with the greater frequency of trains envisaged. Also for those of us who sleep last the appropriate station and need to go back.
No Ted, they just walk across the tracks anyway. IF they go this route they need to fully enclose the stations to minimise the idiots getting onto the railway and assaulting passengers and staff alike.
I made this comment on a different post and now I see it probably best fits here:
What about the idea of a ‘tag off’ lottery?
I’m thinking only RTN initially.
Could you programme a reader to say at random offer a couple of free trips per 100 tag offs? Or say a few $10 credits for every 1000 tag offs? Maybe even a serious prize in cash or goods per 10,000 / 100,000 tag offs?
Generated randomly but averaged out at the above rates so that no one knows when the winning tag off would occur.
This might help incentivise behaviour if you had say a 2-4% chance of tagging off for free… and even if it didn’t incentivise fare evaders at least it would reward the users who do pay.
So if say the Avg PT fare is c.$3 for every 100 ($300) you (AT) might write off $6-12 (2-4 trips), for every 1,000 fares ($3,000) you (AT) might credit $20-50 on HOP cards.
1% of revenue for say 100,000 trips would be $3000. Maybe you could offer a cash / goods prize pool of $5,000 per 100,000 trips..?
12 months to May (2015) there were c.16.5m trips on the RTN – c.$50m revenue, 1~2% would be 500k – $1m in prizes! (marketing and administration could be deducted from this pool.)
With the current tag off data and a fixed pool of money based on RTN revenue, trips + avg fare, it would be easy to see the cost of the lottery and whether it is covering itself and increasing revenue from increased tag offs.
If it is costing too much, scale it back. If it is largely ineffectual, discontinue it after say a full financial year.
Things don’t have to be all stick, everyone loves a little carrot… and how easy to market / advertise / promote…
“I tagged off on Monday morning and won an iPad / $1000 @ _____ station, thanks AT!”
In the game with PT / How do you ride? / Are you high rolling? / ‘CASHtag’ $tag etc etc
Police to catch fare evasion? They should be out prosecuting rapists! If they’d gated every station before removing the ability to buy tickets on the trains, we wouldn’t have this problem.