We reported in February on plans for extra ticket gates at Charing Cross.  Now the gates have been installed it’s clear that there is a useful innovation too – large indicators above the gates showing which are open.

At the big commuter stations the direction of some of the gates is changed through the day to reflect the “tidal flow” of commuters.  But on the old-style gates there is just a faint indicator on the gate itself showing whether it is open in your direction.  It’s very hard to see until you are at the gate itself, and if you have ever been stuck behind a tourist you’ll have observed that it is very confusing too.

So the large, overhead, indicators at Charing Cross Platforms 1-4 are a welcome innovation. We understand that similar indicators are going to be installed at the separate gate-line to Platforms 5 & 6 also, although we are awaiting formal confirmation of that.  We hope that similar indicators will be installed at other stations – such as London Bridge.

However there is one problem. Unfortunately for people coming up from the tube station the indicators over the new part of the gate-line at Charing Cross largely obscure the departure boards ….

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