A station entrance, described as ‘vital’ by passengers, will stay open. Rumours were swirling that the gateway would close, but South Western Railway has assured customers it will remain in place, but with some adjustments.
In October SurreyLive spoke to Noelia Noël who had launched a petition to keep the New Way entrance to Godalming station open. She was concerned that entry point was an essential access point for residents as well as a local charity. She said that the gateway made her life much easier and felt getting rid of it would make life more complicated.
Now a spokesperson for SWR has said: “We have now completed repairs to the gate following recent vandalism. During this time, we engaged in positive discussions with local stakeholders and station colleagues to explore ways to prevent ongoing misuse of this access point while prioritising its availability for our customers. We are pleased to confirm that the side gate will remain open for customer access.”
In October SWR told SurreyLive that it was working on fixing the gate for the fourth time in the past 3 months, and were looking for a solution that would protect staff and stop fare evasion, while also letting customers access the station.
With this in mind the SWR spokesperson continued: “To support our customers and help reduce fare evasion and anti-social behaviour, we’ll be installing additional signage to clearly indicate that the station is not a Public Right of Way and cannot be used as a shortcut.
“Moving forward, access through the gate will require proof of a valid ticket (physical, barcode, smart card, etc.), and we’ll add a poster explaining how to purchase tickets online. For anyone without a ticket who wishes to buy one at the ticket office or machine, access is available via the main entrance.”
