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Sunday, February 9, 2025

Nottingham Station: Cabbies say closed footbridge and crossing main road for taxis adds to problems

“It is a little bit better, but it is still a safety hazard for the customer because passengers have to come from the station’s main entrance and then cross the road to access the taxis."

Nottingham taxi drivers have welcomed a new taxi rank closer to the entrance of Nottingham Station – but some of them are worried it could end up being dangerous for passengers and create unnecessary competition.

 

Carrington Street is being trialled as a location for a rank of eight wheelchair-accessible taxis, beginning Monday (3rd February).

Another eight spaces will also be available in nearby Arkwright Street.

Hackney carriage drivers currently have a rank in Trent Street, near Nottingham City Council’s Loxley House headquarters, and this has been reduced to create a new pick-up and drop-off bay.

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Taxi drivers Arfan Chaudhry Mohammed Akram and Chander Sood pictured in Trent Street LDRS
Taxi drivers Arfan Chaudhry, Mohammed Akram and Chander Sood pictured in Trent Street

The trial will run for 18 months.

Mohammed Akram, who has been a taxi driver for more than 35 years, said: “It is a little bit better, but it is still a safety hazard for the customer because passengers have to come from the station’s main entrance and then cross the road to access the taxis.

“It is a lot better than coming to Trent Street, which is a very long walk, but the problem we have is that we are going to lose spaces. Where we were parked in Trent Street before, we had a rank for about 35 cabs, whereas in Carrington Street, the new rank only has 16 spaces.”

City market traders and taxi drivers can apply for free cash from £1.8m grant to council
Hackney carriage drivers currently have a rank in Trent Street, near Nottingham City Council’s Loxley House headquarters
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The trial comes as East Midlands Railway (EMR) announces it will be closing access to platforms via the railway station footbridge again from 22nd February.

EMR said its heavily criticised three-week pilot in October last year showed a significant increase in revenue, which would be equivalent to about £1.1m a year.

 

Customers accessing platforms one to six will again need to use the main entrance. Pedestrians will still be able to use the bridge to get from Station Street to Queen’s Road because this is a public right of way – but access to platforms will be gated off.

Screenshot 2024 10 31 at 09.33.42
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Mr Akram added: “There will be competition because if you have no passengers coming from this entrance, which we have heard [EMR] are closing down, these [drivers] are going to be sitting here all day long before anyone comes, so that’s another problem we have.”

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© westbridgfordwire.com

Chander Sood, of the Nottingham City Hackney Carriage Owners & Drivers Association, said they lost around 65 to 70 per cent of customers during the EMR footbridge closure trial last year.

“This Trent Street rank will be totally deserted; no customers will come out from this side,” he said.

“The council should consider whether they can provide us with more spaces on Carrington Street.”

Hackney carriage drivers were originally based at a drop-off point inside Nottingham Railway Station, off Carrington Street, before a £50m revamp around a decade ago.

The taxi rank was then moved to Station Street for a short period before it was pedestrianised.

 

Taxi driver of 23 years, Arfan Chaudhry, said they would like to see a rank reintroduced in Station Street.

“We are happy the council is working with us,” he added. “It is a very positive thing. We had Station Street for years, and it worked really well for us.

“Station Street is currently pedestrianised, and we are in dialogue with the council to get it back. Anybody can tell there is a safety hazard for passengers [on Carrington Street], so we will take feedback from passengers and drivers and work with the council to sort this out if there are any issues.”

Cllr Neghat Khan, leader of the council and Executive Member for Strategic Regeneration, Transport and Communications, said: “Following feedback from disabled residents and residents with young children, we are trialling a new taxi rank close to the front of the station to improve accessibility.

“I encourage residents, visitors, and transport users to share their feedback.”

Philippa Cresswell, Customer Service Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “The first short closure of the bridge laid bare the stark extent of ticketless travel that was taking place via the footbridge.

“This money belongs to the taxpayer and is vital for the railway to successfully operate, improve, and secure investment.

“We recognise that the pilot was not universally supported and increased the time it took for some customers to access or change trains; however, the benefits were too great not to progress this matter further.

“The first short closure of the bridge also highlighted significant safety and security benefits – including three direct interventions to support suicidal individuals.

“The closure, which will be kept under review, will allow us to capture more data and evidence around the issue.

“Of course, we are aware that this decision will not be popular with some parts of the community, but it is only right to protect the taxpayer and test our analysis and conclusions that were highlighted around safety.”

•  Access to platforms at Nottingham Station via footbridge to close again for more data collection

 

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