More ticket gates on Metro to cut fare dodging
NexusNew ticket gates are to be installed on the Tyne and Wear Metro for the first time in a decade.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has announced that Regent Centre in Gosforth, Newcastle, will be the first to be upgraded in a bid to improve safety and cut fare dodging.
The North East Combined Authority, which Labour's McGuinness heads, will put a total of £2.1m towards new gates by 2027.
However, it has not yet been decided how many other stations will have security gates fitted or which parts of the Metro map will be prioritised.
Automatic ticket gates, or gatelines, which require passengers to present a ticket or smartcard to pass through, are currently at 13 of the Metro's 60 stations - Airport, Central, Gateshead, Haymarket, Heworth, Jesmond, Manors, Monument, North Shields, South Shields, Chichester, St James and Byker.
The work to install them at Regent Centre is due to be completed by the end of this year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.
NexusOperator Nexus said it would not install them across the entire network but was carrying out a feasibility study to determine which stations would be suitable.
Managing director Cathy Massarella said: "We are currently working through the detail of how these schemes, which include a new Shields Ferry landing at North Shields Fish Quay, will be delivered.
"Because the busiest stations already have gates, 75% of customers already pass through a gate at the start or end of the journey.
"New gate lines help us to safely control customer flow and access to stations and help to reduce fare evasion."