SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail will temporarily withdraw pedestrian access across Guildford station footbridge in a three-month trial between Monday 4 December and Friday 1 March.
The trial follows anti-social behaviour towards station staff by fare evaders over many years. It will be used to collect data before SWR and Network Rail apply to permanently withdraw access in 2024.
Pedestrians are permitted to use the footbridge as a walking route between Station Approach and Guildford Park Road. Until recently, pedestrians were provided with a paper ‘bridge pass’ that allowed them to enter and exit the station via the footbridge.
Walking across the station footbridge is estimated to be around three minutes quicker than the alternative route across Farnham Road bridge. However, fare evaders regularly access the station’s platforms and board trains without a valid ticket, having claimed to be using the footbridge as a walking route.
SWR and the British Transport Police have recorded a number of incidents where fare evaders have, when challenged, gone on to be verbally and physically abusive towards station staff. Since the beginning of 2023 there have been 60 reports of anti-social behaviour with at least 20 incidents reported to the British Transport Police.
A study commissioned by SWR in November 2022 found that almost 2,000 bridge passes went missing in just 25 days. It is estimated that improper use of the bridge passes has led to hundreds of thousands of pounds being lost through fare evasion.
The requirement to allow pedestrians to walk through the station and over the bridge was introduced following a planning agreement between the British Railways Board and Guildford Borough Council in 1988.
The arrangements also mean the station is used as a thoroughfare on weekend evenings, with high levels of anti-social behaviour and the need for police and Rail Community Officer presence for non-rail related incidents.
Claire Mann, South Western Railway’s Managing Director, said:
“We cannot accept anti-social behaviour towards our colleagues and as a result we are withdrawing pedestrian access to Guildford station footbridge between Monday 4 December and Friday 1 March. The trial will be used to gather information ahead of an application to permanently withdraw pedestrian access.
“While this may be inconvenient to pedestrians who use the footbridge as intended, we hope that they appreciate that we cannot allow our staff to be verbally or physically abused. We must also address the problem of fare evasion, which is costing hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.”
Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director, said:
“We know most of our customers wouldn’t dream of behaving like this, but these statistics don’t lie. The data shows our colleagues are regularly being physically or verbally abused by people who are misusing the bridge passes, therefore we’ve got to take action.
“While we recognise the trial removal of the passes will be an inconvenience, we hope people will understand that we have to keep our colleagues and customers safe.”
