Urgent meeting called over closure of pedestrian entrance at Nottingham Railway Station

An urgent meeting was called over concerns resulting from the closure of a pedestrian entrance to Nottingham Railway Station. The closure of the Station Street entrance, which leads to a footbridge, was announced by East Midlands Railway to clamp down on fare dodgers, with passengers having used the footbridge to bypass the main entrance and ticket barriers to get to the platforms.

The closure of the entrance forms part of a pilot scheme, of which phase one will last until November 17. However, Nottingham Labour MPs Nadia Whittome and Lilian Greenwood called an urgent meeting with EMR after concerns were raised by constituents.

Ms Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, said: "I’m particularly concerned about the potential effect on nearby businesses, tram passengers, and taxi congestion, and a number of people have made clear to me how much of an inconvenience this change will be. EMR are carrying out a three-week pilot, which will include passenger feedback."

Get the latest news straight to your phone by joining us on WhatsApp

The MPs met with representatives for East Midlands Railway on Friday, November 1. Ms Whittome added: "I would encourage those with concerns to raise them with EMR. Nottingham MPs will continue to be in contact with the company, so we will also provide feedback from residents and businesses."

The entrance from Station Street leads directly to a footbridge over platforms, with stairs down to the platforms. It also leads to a pedestrian entrance on Queen's Road.

EMR says the footbridge will remain a public right of way, and says that access to the tram on Station Street from the footbridge will also be maintained. Customers have been advised to "allow extra time for their journey" if using the footbridge to get to Queen's Road.

Speaking previously, Philippa Cresswell, EMR's customer service director, said: "The vast majority of our customers always buy a ticket and understand that for the railway to successfully operate, improve, and secure investment, fares need to be paid.

"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. 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."

Local businesses previously raised concerns about the planned closure.