New automatic ticket gates have gone live at Manchester Oxford Road to make it quicker and easier for passengers to travel through the busy station at peak times.
It is the second station on Northern Rail’s network to have the new gates installed.
The gates will also help reduce the number of people travelling without a ticket, estimated to cost the rail industry £210 million every year.
Jamie Ross, Area Director, Northern Rail said: “Although these gates have only been fully operational for a few days we’re already starting to see a difference. We expect to follow in the footsteps of Blackpool North where, since the gates were installed in December, we have seen an increase in tickets sold and a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour, helping to maintain a more secure and attractive station environment.”
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Notes to editors
For further information contact the Northern Rail press office on 01904 568652 or 01904 568670.
Northern Rail is the biggest train operator in Britain, providing 2,500 local and regional train services every day across the north of England, serving a population of nearly 15m. We are now carrying 78.5 million passengers a year, 23% more than when we started our franchise in December 2004.
Northern Rail is owned by Serco-NedRailways, a joint venture established in 2002 that combines Serco’s world-class service credentials and NedRailways’ unrivalled rail industry expertise. Serco has run the highly successful Docklands Light Railway since 1997 while NedRailways’ parent, NS Dutch Railways, carries over 1.1 million passengers every day in the Netherlands.
In addition to Northern Rail, Serco-NedRailways has the 25-year concession for Merseyrail, which provides urban train services in Merseyside.
Recent Northern honours
Rail Business of the Year and Train Operator of the Year – HSBC Rail Business Awards 2007
Public Transport Operator of the Year - National Transport Awards 2007
Winners – Example of Excellence in Rural Action, Business in the Community Awards 2007
Overall Winners - Community Rail Awards 2007
