Newcastle Central Metro station locked early

ModernRailways · 12 Apr 2013

Not sure if this is in the right place so please move it if it isn't!

I was travelling home one night (don't wish to share the date) on the last Metro from Newcastle Central Station, however as I was in a hurry (I had 2 minutes before the Metro was due) I went to use the entrance inside the main Railway station. Upon getting to the main doors I found they were closed and appeared to be locked. I was quite surprised so did try to see if I could open them by giving them a push. I then had to run to try and get down the stairs leading to the Metro which are outside and across the road. To my dismay the door warning tone sounded and the doors started to close, I could have probably walked through by the time I stood there as they had only just started closing but I never try to hold the doors or go through whilst they are closing. I then went back upstairs and got a Taxi home. I know it's my problem for missing the Metro as I didn't leave myself enough time and Metro can't be held responsible for running a train on time, although I wish it was delayed would have saved me a few quid! :lol:

To add to all this, whilst running a Taxi driver shouted 'They do it all the time, close those bloody doors early, they've locked people inside a few times now'. So I can guess that since most trains terminate at NCL after 2200 (I think there is only one train after 2200) cleaners come over and unlock the doors to let people out - I've arrived on the 2200 (from KGX) which arrives at around 2am and the doors where shut. Someone came over and opened them but I wasn't quite sure who.

I just want to know what you all think of this and whether or not I should send a letter to East Coast asking what times they close the doors at the front of the station and also who would open the doors for those passengers requiring to be let through? I'm not wanting any compensation since it's my fault for leaving it so fine to catch the last Metro - however some travel vouchers to go towards an ALR would be nice

Thanks in advance!

RailUK Forums

transmanche · 12 Apr 2013

ModernRailways said:
I then had to run to try and get down the stairs leading to the Metro which are outside and across the road.

I'm not sure why you had to cross the road. There are three entrances to the Metro station; 1) from inside the mainline station, 2) from across the road in Grainger St (next to 'The Lounge') and 3) on Neville Street, immediately outside the station portico (next to the Centurion). In fact the Neville Street entrance would be closer to the mainline station doors than the entrance inside the station!

ModernRailways · 12 Apr 2013

transmanche said:
I'm not sure why you had to cross the road. There are three entrances to the Metro station; 1) from inside the mainline station, 2) from across the road in Grainger St (next to 'The Lounge') and 3) on Neville Street, immediately outside the station portico (next to the Centurion). In fact the Neville Street entrance would be closer to the mainline station doors than the entrance inside the station!

I never knew that was there :oops:

I've never walked that way or looked, in fact come to think of it, when I leave the Metro at Central and head upstairs I always just continue straight forward up the next escalator to the main NR station and never really look around. Silly mistake really, although in the panic I was in I probably still wouldn't have used it as looking at that image it appears to be hidden from the view of the main railway station entrance due to the stations front.
Thanks for letting me know so I don't make the same stupid mistake again!

londonboi · 12 Apr 2013

Hi mate

I work on london underground and as last trains are due to stop the "stragglers" we normally close entrances/exits early that way its easy for us to control the flow of people coming in to catch last trains and people leaving the station. I presume mabey metro do the same. Its stops people wandering around the station after last trains have gone

ModernRailways · 12 Apr 2013

londonboi198o5 said:
Hi mate

I work on london underground and as last trains are due to stop the "stragglers" we normally close entrances/exits early that way its easy for us to control the flow of people coming in to catch last trains and people leaving the station. I presume mabey metro do the same. Its stops people wandering around the station after last trains have gone

There was still three more trains (or maybe two) which where due within the next 30 minutes. It's the main station entrance to the actual National Rail station though which was closed.

I completely agree though! I'm not too sure how Metro close up after last trains, but I might be able to find out of a friend who is CSA.

dysonsphere · 12 Apr 2013

There used to be 1 train an hour from Paddington to Reading all through the night stopping all stations which I used often (it was very handy) one night it was running on the mains not relief lines dropped several of us of at Hayes and Harlington on platform 1 only to find the exits locked so ended up at 3 in the morning with people having to either walk the tracks to other platforms then the open exit or climb the fence. Turned out no one told the station staff about the change of running lines overnight.

AlexS · 12 Apr 2013

It helps keep the vagrants out, is the long and short of it. Particularly at a large station like Newcastle.

asylumxl · 12 Apr 2013

AlexS said:
It helps keep the vagrants out, is the long and short of it. Particularly at a large station like Newcastle.

No good if there's genuine customers wanting trains :P.

davetheguard · 12 Apr 2013

I once came across a locked off exit at North Camp station on the Guildford to Reading line.

The booking office staff had finished their shift and locked up the exit through the station building as normal; however they had forgotten to unlock the side exit at the same time.

As a result passengers who alighted off the next Reading-bound train were unable to leave the platform. Fortunately the train had not yet left, and the Guard was able to ring the signaler and escort the passengers across the track to the other platform, from where there was a separate, and unlocked, exit.

I once found myself locked in on the Marseille metro, but that's another story, and not one for discussion in the UK section!

deltic1989 · 12 Apr 2013

I do seem to remember a tale I saw on TV a few years ago. The story runs that some time in the 70's or 80's a commuter was traveling home late at night on the London Underground and a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line resulted in his destination station being locked up early (I don't recall the name of the station).
Unfortunately for our commuter no one told the driver that the station was locked up and he stopped as normal opening the doors and allowing our man to alight. Resulting in him being trapped in the station overnight.
I don't know if this is told as an urban legend. I know a fair few of those revolve around the Underground. Or weather it is true, but it seemed to fit the thread so I thought I would tell it. It's sort of the reverse of the OP's problem.
I also seem to remember that it was claimed that the man had a few ghostly experiences which was the reason for it being shown on TV but that's a discussion for another thread entirely.

transmanche · 12 Apr 2013

deltic1989 said:
Unfortunately for our commuter no one told the driver that the station was locked up and he stopped as normal opening the doors and allowing our man to alight. Resulting in him being trapped in the station overnight.

There's a story that someone, somehow accidentally alighted at South Kentish Town soon after that station closed - and was trapped there overnight. This inspired a poem in the LT staff magazine in 1933. In 1951, Sir John Betjaman wrote a story about this tale.

deltic1989 · 12 Apr 2013

transmanche said:
There's a story that someone, somehow accidentally alighted at South Kentish Town soon after that station closed - and was trapped there overnight. This inspired a poem in the LT staff magazine in 1933. In 1951, Sir John Betjaman wrote a story about this tale.

It may have been that then. It was a while ago I saw it the details are a little hazy to me

.

transmanche · 12 Apr 2013

deltic1989 said:
It may have been that then. It was a while ago I saw it the details are a little hazy to me .

Haha, I suspect that the story (whether the original had any truth in it or not) has been updated and adapted over the years as it gets re-told...

Ze Random One · 13 Apr 2013

No, it's not uncommon for the Metro entrance within the station to be shut after the last EC train has departed, which presents a problem for some users of the station, as it is the only step-free exit/entrance.
My personal opinion is that this entrance should remain open throughout the Metro's operating hours (i.e., 0500 - 0035) -- it's not as if there aren't a multitude of other routes "less desirable" people could use to access the station (the four vehicular entrances / exits spring to mind), and the station is open 24/7 according to NRE.

causton · 13 Apr 2013

Not sure how the Underground situation could happen these days, with Connect radios. Also all tube stations have one of these hidden behind one of the tube maps which would presumably be used if a station was closed early:
http://www.artofthestate.co.uk/photos/london_underground_tube_station_closed.jpg

...
now why does it say 5mph? Well that's a different matter altogether!

bluenoxid · 13 Apr 2013

Was the Metro access from the station blocked? That is surprising.

Darandio · 13 Apr 2013

bluenoxid said:
Was the Metro access from the station blocked? That is surprising.

No, it seems that the OP tried to enter the main station and it was this that was locked.

asylumxl said:
No good if there's genuine customers wanting trains

As already stated, there are two other entrances that could have been used. No genuine customers are being stopped from accessing the system. Unfortunately, the OP seems to have chosen the longest route.

Greenback · 13 Apr 2013

I'd be surprised if this was the only place where certain entrances (where there a few of them) close earlier than others. It seems to happen at a few central Underground stations.

cdonnigan · 13 Apr 2013

Greenback said:
I'd be surprised if this was the only place where certain entrances (where there a few of them) close earlier than others. It seems to happen at a few central Underground stations.

If that entrance was closed how is the station accesable to disabled passengers as this is the entrance where the lift is as well.

Ze Random One · 13 Apr 2013

Darandio said:
No, it seems that the OP tried to enter the main station and it was this that was locked.

As already stated, there are two other entrances that could have been used. No genuine customers are being stopped from accessing the system. Unfortunately, the OP seems to have chosen the longest route.

Unless that customer is unable to use steps, in which case, inability to access the main concourse results in an inability to use the station.

I have certainly been on a 2330ish arrival and found the Metro entrance from the NR concourse to be shuttered.

142094 · 14 Apr 2013

This has been going on for years - mainly to keep out the drunks who wander in looking for a cash machine or toilet. Staff open the doors into the portico when a train arrives.

I'm not entirely sure who operates the shutters from the Metro into the mainline station but I have a strong feeling it will be East Coast (seeing as the shuttering of the Metro stations is done much later on by someone who travels across the system. What should be in place is a system like at Monument where the lift down into the Metro concourse can be accessed at all times, which happens even if Eldon Square is shut.

ModernRailways · 14 Apr 2013

Darandio said:
No, it seems that the OP tried to enter the main station and it was this that was locked.
As already stated, there are two other entrances that could have been used. No genuine customers are being stopped from accessing the system. Unfortunately, the OP seems to have chosen the longest route.

Yeah, I tried to use the main NR station and that was locked up, and then not realizing there was another entrance other than the one across the road was my own stupid fault.

Some people also raise a valid point, what happens to a disabled passenger who requires the lift but can't, because they can't actually get to the Metro due to the NR station being closed?

Should I write a letter to East Coast asking what would happen in these instances?

transmanche · 15 Apr 2013

ModernRailways said:
Should I write a letter to East Coast asking what would happen in these instances?

I'd say in the first instance it's worth contacting Metro. (Why not ask on their Facebook page?)

ModernRailways · 15 Apr 2013

transmanche said:
I'd say in the first instance it's worth contacting Metro. (Why not ask on their Facebook page?)

I would but Metro had not done anything wrong, it was the NR station that was closed but the Metro station may have still been open.

Darandio · 15 Apr 2013

ModernRailways said:
Some people also raise a valid point, what happens to a disabled passenger who requires the lift but can't, because they can't actually get to the Metro due to the NR station being closed?

I agree, a totally valid point, something I didn't consider when replying the other evening.

transmanche · 15 Apr 2013

ModernRailways said:
I would but Metro had not done anything wrong, it was the NR station that was closed but the Metro station may have still been open.

I know - and I didn't suggest they had done anything wrong. But if Metro take it up with East Coast, it will carry more weight and is more likely to produce a quick result.

Something like: "Dear Metro, did you know that the main entrance of Newcastle Central mainline station is often closed well before the time of the last Metro? This means that people cannot access the lift down to the Metro station concourse - and as a result the Metro station is not accessible to anyone who needs step-free access."

ModernRailways · 15 Apr 2013

transmanche said:
I know - and I didn't suggest they had done anything wrong. But if Metro take it up with East Coast, it will carry more weight and is more likely to produce a quick result.

Something like: "Dear Metro, did you know that the main entrance of Newcastle Central mainline station is often closed well before the time of the last Metro? This means that people cannot access the lift down to the Metro station concourse - and as a result the Metro station is not accessible to anyone who needs step-free access."

Never thought if it like that! I shall query it with them and ask if anything can be done. Would you recommend I also send the same letter to East Coast with some differences just to also make them aware of the issue?

transmanche · 15 Apr 2013

ModernRailways said:
Never thought if it like that! I shall query it with them and ask if anything can be done. Would you recommend I also send the same letter to East Coast with some differences just to also make them aware of the issue?

Personally I'd just tell Metro what happened to you, but say it made you think about step-free access. And then leave them to take it up with East Coast - it Metro's station that is being affected after all.

Mojo · 15 Apr 2013

You're unlikely to find a London Underground station locked up early as bar a few exceptions, the Station Supervisor is responsible for ensuring the last train is seen off (by showing the Train Operator a green aspect on a handlamp) every night, plus most stations have staff rostered 24/7 so any instances of staff being unavailable would either leave the station closed (at those stations below ground) which would be advertised as a disruption, or unlocked.

142094 · 16 Apr 2013

The Metro station itself remains open until well after the last train of the night - the issue is access from the mainline station. In all due respect, if East Coast decide that they want to close the route from the Metro station onto their concourse, they have every right to do so.

If you are sending a letter, the reply will probably state that passengers who need step free access from street to platform should go to Monument.

Newcastle Central Metro station locked early

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