East Midlands Railway’s decision to temporarily shut the footbridge at Nottingham Station has been called “extreme” by the leader of the City Council, who is meeting bosses today to voice concerns about the change.
East Midlands Railway (EMR) stopped all access to platforms one to six from the footbridge, which connects Station Street to Queen’s Road, at the end of October.
EMR says the trialled closure, which will run until 17 November, is being done to tackle fare evasion.
However, the leader of Nottingham City Council, Cllr Neghat Khan (Lab), said she was “disappointed” by the lack of communication from the rail firm before the closure.
She said: “I contacted the Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, and also contacted the MPs to make them aware and said, ‘Let’s write a joint letter to say it is unacceptable.’
“This seems like a really extreme thing to do. I don’t think you take this kind of dramatic action without thinking of the consequences.
“I have been inundated with emails from taxi drivers, residents, and local businesses because it is having a massive impact on them.”
Cllr Khan said she would be meeting directors from EMR on Tuesday (12 November) to discuss the issue.
Nottingham’s black cab drivers, who are now based in Trent Street, said the station’s side entrance had been a key part of their business.
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.
Black cab driver Mohammad Khal said: “Customers are coming out of the station, the main entrance, and they don’t know where the taxis are because we are already well-hidden. This entrance was our living.
“We hope that the authorities consider the spaces for taxis. Normally every other station has it right where people are coming out of the station.”
Chander Sood, of the Nottingham City Hackney Carriage Owners & Drivers Association, said they had already suffered as a result of a number of changes to the location of their rank over the last decade.
“We’ve never been consulted,” he said.
“We are a main stakeholder. They should come to us and say, look, we are going to have a consultation. We always get told, take it or leave it.
“You can see the distance [to the main entrance]. If any person is in a wheelchair, how are they going to come down with excessive luggage?
“Senior citizens, if someone has walking difficulties, with their luggage – it could be my grandparents, your grandparents.”
The specific concerns of the taxi drivers, and the lack of consultation with stakeholders, were put to EMR.
EMR did not respond to them directly.
In a statement, Philippa Cresswell, Customer Service Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “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 customers’ money – and have been forced to run this pilot to prevent access to the platforms via the station’s footbridge.
“The right of way connecting Station Street and Queen’s Road will remain open, as will access to the tram stop on Station Street. The pilot will finish on Sunday, 17 November, and we will be reviewing all the feedback to understand its effectiveness.”
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