New ticket barrier technology installed on UK railway to prevent fare dodgers
High Wycombe station, operated by Chiltern Railways, has installed taller gates with tailgate sensors
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New ticket barriers have been installed at High Wycombe railway station as the government vows to clamp down on fare evasion.
The Buckinghamshire station, managed by Chiltern Railways, has replaced its older barriers with a new gate system on platform 3, which incorporates several features to reduce fare evasion.
The new barriers include taller paddle doors to make it harder for passengers to jump over or dive underneath, as well as a breakthrough-resistant mechanism to make it more difficult to force the gates open.
There is also a large bar running atop the gateline equipped with passenger sensors that track how many people use the gates when they are open, and who may have walked through without swiping their ticket or tapping their card.
If this happens, a short alarm is sent, which alerts staff of a possible fare evader or a tailgater.
While the barriers cannot prevent tailgaters from rushing through the barriers when they are open at peak times, they can record the incident and provide more data on fare dodgers, according the Ian Visits website.
The barriers at High Wycombe are currently accepting barcode tickets, but are in the process of being configured for contactless payment. The barriers are also set to be introduced on platforms 1 and 2 imminently.
A Chiltern Railways spokesperson told The Independent: “We are installing new ticket gates at High Wycombe to replace the current 30-year-old gates at the station.
“Installation work on the new gates is expected to finalise this summer.”
Fare evasion puts £400m of rail revenue at risk each year, the government says, causing operators to lose vital funds that could be reinvested into maintenance and upgrades.
As part of the government’s rail reforms, new ticket gates will be installed across stations in England in a £33m project to crack down on fare dodgers.
The Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: “Fare evasion is not a victimless crime – it undermines confidence in the railway and means passengers lose out on millions in revenue, which should be invested to improve services for everyone.
“By stopping fare dodgers before they reach the platform, we’re protecting taxpayer cash, supporting investment in the network and ensuring the railway works better for the millions of passengers who do the right thing every day by paying their way.”
It is unclear if Chiltern’s installation is part of the government reforms, but both are installing taller gates to make it harder to jump under, over or push through.
The new ticket gates will have options to scan digital tickets, insert paper tickets or tap their cards where contactless travel is available.
Funding has been allocated to fare dodging hot spots, such as Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly stations.
Delivery of the new ticket gates is expected by mid-2028, with the first phase of rollout in place during the first half of 2027.
Read more: Woman smashes through train station glass barrier to avoid paying $2.50 fare
