Why Northern may never install Ticket Gates at Halifax Station!

The Ticket Gates that were to be provided at Halifax Station by 31^st March 2017 have gone to Skipton. [1] This no-doubt will be a relief to some as although Northern do in fact to check tickets at Halifax, through the use of Revenue Protection Staff as opposed to machines, these members of staff are occasionally not around and are generally gone in the evening. Rendering it unnecessary to search around in your pockets for the ticket you bought earlier. This is seen by some as a temporary measure including HADRAG. [2] However this could in fact quite easily become permanent and Halifax may never ever see a single Ticket Gate. As Halifax Station is to be transformed at a cost of over £25 million. [3] This transformation is expected to see the creation of a third platform and a new station entrance at ground (car park level). New access to the platforms is to be created from a reopened Navigation Road, that is expected to provide access to not only the rail station from the east but also this new multi-story car park, that has been identified “could be managed to accommodate peak demands not only from Eureka! but also from the Piece Hall” [4]

Which is why Halifax may never see Ticket Gates! If Ticket Gates were installed this would prevent access to those visiting Eureka and the Piece Hall from a reopened Navigation Road. Unless of course a path was maintained through this tunnel, open to pedestrians and not just rail commuters. Something that may be possible but would be narrower than that of the existing footbridge that unlike Navigation Road has plenty of natural light thanks to skylights. This would mean that a lift would have to be created right through the middle of this bridge, something that would cause a significant amount of disruption as the station footbridge would have to be removed first, potentially forcing Halifax Station to close unless a temporary bridge could be erected. Before the platform could be dug out in order to reach the arch below, even then it would not be possible to break through this whilst trains were running over it as it could potentially endanger the operational safety of the railway line. Quite possibly this may even well be unfeasible altogether!

In this event the lift would have to provided upon the opposite side of Navigation Road, something that would conflict with the pedestrian access to the east if Northern ever decided to install Ticket Gates.