While nearly all of the 272 stations on the London Underground network have ticket barriers, a few smaller ones located further from Central London simply don’t have the space.
Transport for London has confirmed that Mill Hill East, Roding Valley and South Kenton are among these compact stations, which instead use ticket validators overseen by staff and CCTV.
Roding Valley, tucked away in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, within the Epping Forest district in Zone 4, is part of the Central line.
Despite its usual bustle of commuters heading to Oxford Circus, Bond Street and Bank, it saw only 449,612 passengers in 2020, averaging 1,231 per day.
Roding Valley station doesn’t bother with ticket barriers – but don’t think you can dodge the fares
(Image: Callum Marius)
However, without ticket barriers, we can’t be entirely sure of these numbers. The second station without barriers, Mill Hill East, is located in Barnet, Zone 4, on the Northern line.
It’s not only one of the few Tube stations without ticket barriers but also one of only three stations in the capital with just one platform – the others being Chessington South and Emerson Park.
South Kenton, nestled between Kenton and North Wembley in the North West of London, is the third station on the Bakerloo line that has no barriers. Despite having a ticket office, there are no ticket gates.
A number of other Tube stations also lack barriers at one entrance due to space constraints, including Chalfont and Latimer, Chorleywood, Finchley Central, Pinner, Waterloo, West Harrow and Woodside Park. The effect of these barrier-less entrances on fare evasion is uncertain, but it’s an issue Transport For London (TfL) is committed to addressing.
South Kenton is another nifty little station that uses ticket validators instead of barriers
(Image: Spsmiler / CC)
A TfL spokesperson was adamant about their commitment to combat fare evasion, stating: “We take fare evasion extremely seriously and our team of 450 revenue inspectors operate across the whole network day and night, using new technology and intelligence to identify anyone travelling without a ticket.”
They went on to emphasize: “Through continued partnership working with the police and intelligence gathering we will push for the toughest penalties for anyone caught fare evading on our services. Fare evasion takes away vital revenue for us to reinvest into our transport network to keep London moving.”
The spokesperson also highlighted: “We have strategies in place to tackle fare evasion head on and a commitment to reduce any form of ticketing irregularities. Efforts to tackle fare evasion have been helped by changes to the way we manage our stations, with more staff visible in and around stations including on gatelines.”
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