New Metro ticket gates 'will deter fare evasion'

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness is hopeful more ticket barriers can be installed across other stations, while Paul Welford of Nexus says the new gates will help lower fare evasion

The first new ticket barriers to be installed across the Tyne and Wear Metro network for a decade should be in action before the end of the year, transport chiefs say.

Work is under way to introduce new gates at Regent Centre in Gosforth, Newcastle, while a shortlist of more stations to have barriers is being drawn up.

It comes after a £2.1m pledge from North East Mayor Kim McGuinness in a bid to improve security and cut fare dodging.

Metro operator Nexus confirmed that work at Regent Centre station, used by more than 1.3m passengers every year, is due to be finished by the end of 2025.

Labour's McGuinness said: "Everyone should feel safe when using public transport but sadly I know that too often this isn't the reality, particularly for women and girls I speak to.

"This is just the start of our multimillion-pound investment to make public transport safer by replacing unwanted old bus shelters right across the North East, putting in better lighting and updating CCTV."

Nexus is currently rolling out its new fleet of Metro trains

Other stations on the Metro map are also in line for upgrades but it remains unclear how many or where they will be.

Nexus has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that surveys are currently being carried out to identify suitable locations.

A shortlist is expected to be finalised in the autumn ahead of further discussions with the North East Combined Authority over funding.

Gatelines, which require passengers to present a ticket or smartcard to pass through, are currently found 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.

While the mayor has promised more gates, transport bosses have previously indicated it would not be feasible to install them across the entire network.

Chichester was the last location to have new barriers installed in 2015.

Paul Welford, major projects director at Nexus, said the new measures at Regent Centre would "help to make this busy suburban station more secure and help us to lower Metro fare evasion".

"New ticket gates help us to safely control customer flow and access to stations," he added.

"This increases security and safety allowing only those travelling on Metro to access the platform."