1. WHO OWNS THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE? FEATURES OF THE GATE LINE... 5

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2 Contents Page DISTRIBUTION... 4 CHANGE HISTORY WHO OWNS THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE? CONTENT OF THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE PURPOSE FEATURES OF THE GATE LINE OVERVIEW EMERGENCY MANUAL OVERRIDE BUTTONS (EMO) ONE SHOT RELEASE PUSH THROUGH FACILITY (BREAKTHROUGH) VEHICLE ACCESS GATE (VAG) ALARMS CCTV FIRE ALARM NORMAL OPERATION BACKGROUND TO GATE LINE CONFIGURATION DAILY ROUTINE DIRECTION OF GATES AND PASSENGER FLOW STAFFING AND ROSTERS RADIO DISCIPLINE VEHICLE GATES (VAG S) EXCESS FARE ARRANGEMENTS OPERATION OF GATE LINE IN DEGRADED CONDITIONS - NON STANDARD OPERATION CONTINGENCY ARRANGEMENTS FOR FAULTY GATES CONTINGENCY ARRANGEMENTS FOR SHORTFALL OF STAFF EMERGENCY ARRANGEMENTS LIGHTING SERVICE DISRUPTION PLANNED / SPECIAL EVENTS EVACUATION PROCEDURE ACCIDENTS / INCIDENTS MANAGING PASSENGER CONFLICT OVERCROWDING AND CONGESTION OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE GATES IMAGINARY LINES GATE LINE CROWD CONTROL TESTING TESTING OF THE FIRE PANEL INTERFACE TRAINING of 24

3 7.1 STATION SERVICE ASSISTANTS TRAINING PROGRAMME TRAINING RECORDS HOURS OF OPERATION GATE LINE OPERATORS MANUAL THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE GATE LINE WILL BE REVIEWED GLOSSARY OF TERMS of 24

5 1. Who Owns The Standard Operating Procedure? The Virgin Trains East Coast Station Business Manager-King s Cross owns the Standard Operating Procedure and is responsible for ensuring it is updated. 1.2 Content of the Standard Operating Procedure The content of the Standard Operating Procedure has been based on the guidelines contained within Virgin Trains East Coast Safety Management System. The relevant standard is SMS11.4 Automatic Ticket Gates. 1.3 Purpose To define the parameters for operation of automatic ticket gates on King s Cross station. It provides guidance on how the gates should operate within the existing station operations and intends to achieve a consistent approach to management of these gatelines. 2. Features of the Gate line 2.1 Overview The Automatic ticket gates have been installed within the Southern Concourse (SC), Western Concourse (WC) and the Footbridge and comprise the following elements: Station Control Unit (SCU) Standard Gate (ATG) Wide Aisle Gate (WAG) Vehicle Access Gate (VAG) Southern Concourse - 6 Wide Aisle Gates 10 Automatic Ticket Gates 2 SKU s, one in each barrel of the station 2 VAG s, one in each barrel of the station Western Concourse - 4 WAG 10 ATG 2 SKU s positioned evenly along gateline on the columns from the western building wall Bridge Area - 1 WAG 5 of 24

7 2.3 One Shot Release The gate can be released by an operator from the Station Control unit or the one shot release key-switch located beneath the stanchion lid lock at either end of the walkway, or by using the supplied Oyster card; to allow one passenger through the gate without insertion of a ticket. 2.4 Push through facility (Breakthrough) The paddles will resist a pushing force of approximately 490 Newton in the entry direction and 400 Newton in the exit direction before they open. Once the paddle / paddles have been forced through the initial 7 degrees, the force required to push the paddles reduces to Newton. This caters for an emergency scenario, where a crowd of people could be pushed up against the paddles. If the paddles are forced an audible alarm is sounded at the gate and intruder is reported at the SCU. If the paddles are obstructed whilst opening or closing, they will reverse to allow removal of any trapped object. The paddles are shaped to minimise trapping of objects and have soft round outer edges to prevent injury. WAGs have a reduced break-through force and speed of operation. 2.5 Vehicle Access Gate (VAG) There are two VAG on the southern concourse and are not staffed.the vehicle access gates will be secured via digilock at all times. The release code has been issued to gate line staff, NR shift supervisors, retailers, on board teams and cleaning staff. 2.6 Alarms The gate will sound an alarm if: The paddles are forced; A child ticket is inserted when the child alarm is enabled; 2.7 CCTV There is complete CCTV coverage of all gate lines, as part of the Network Rail landlord provision. Additional CCTV with Video Operated Help Point may be used if installed. At present there are no help points installed at King s Cross. CCTV is not actively monitored for the Gate Line, it is passively monitored. All the control measures are based around staffing of the Gate Line. 2.8 Fire Alarm All ATG s and VAG s open automatically at the second stage of the station fire alarm using a direct link from the station fire alarm system. They will also open in the fire alarm tests. 7 of 24

8 Any deviations to this will be recorded by Virgin Trains East Coast and reported to the Duty Customer Service Manager. In the event of a local or main power failure, the gates will default to open. 3. Normal Operation 3.1 Background to gate line configuration. Each gate is numbered and those numbers and the direction of the gates are shown on the Station Control Unit (SCU) display screen. The numbers of the gates are shown on the SCU layout screen-shots. All station staff must be aware of the number, which corresponds with each gate and must use this number when communicating about a gate to other station staff and reporting faults. The southern facade will be is set at exit only with the exception of gates 77w and 78. Customers arriving at the southern concourse and wishing to enter the paid area will be directed around to the western façade (only a minute walk) or Gates 77w and 78. The western façade, including the footbridge, will be set at entry for gates 43w through to 35 and gate 30w. Customers wishing to enter the Western Concourse from platforms 0-8 can use gates 34 through to 31w or exit through the southern façade and walk around to the Western Concourse (only a minute walk). The foot bridge gate 5 will be set to exit and 1w can be used as a multi directional. 3.2 Daily Routine General hours of operation do not include staffing the vehicle gates. The gate line is left in an open position overnight or when there are less than the minimum staffing numbers present (as described in the Risk Assessment). Gates may also be left in the open position if found to be faulty. At the start of the shift: 1. Each gate is closed individually at the gate. 2. The gate line staff checks that there are no passengers passing through the gate as it is activated. 3. The gate line staff report in to their Duty Customer Service Manager and advise if the gates are not ready to become operational. The gate line staff will be fully empowered to operate an emergency override on the automatic ticket gates to relieve congestion at the local bank of gates. 8 of 24

9 Paid Side (Passengers wishing to exit station) Gate line staff will refer passengers without a ticket to the excess fares window. Any Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC), Grand Central (GCT) and First Hull Trains passengers arriving by train who have not purchased a valid ticket and do not have means to do so we reserve the right to issue an unpaid fares notice (UFN) from the Excess Fares office. Any Great Northern Railway (GTR) passengers arriving by train who have not purchased a valid ticket and do not have means to do so, will be issued with a penalty fares notice (PFN) by an authorised GTR Penalty Fares Inspector when available. GN Revenue staff can be contacted via the station radio. Unpaid Side (Passengers wishing to enter platform to board) VTEC or GN passengers wishing to enter the station from the unpaid side will be directed back to the Travel Centre or Fast Ticket Machines (TVM s) to purchase a valid ticket for travel. Grand Central or Hull Train passengers will not be refused entry to platforms 0 8, as they may purchase or collect pre-booked tickets on board their respective services when they are called for boarding. In accordance with the Current ticket restrictions. Prior to the services being advertised, Grand Central and Hull Train passengers wishing to purchase tickets on board the train will be asked to remain on the concourse until the service is called for boarding. 3.3 Direction of Gates and Passenger Flow Peak time operations Defined as peak Customer movements and not necessarily peak ticket times: AM peak - Monday to Friday 07:30 10:00 and PM peak - Monday to Friday for departures 16:30 19:00. 9 of 24

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14 4. Operation of Gate Line in degraded conditions - Non Standard Operation This is not exhaustive list of degraded conditions but seeks to provide clarity where there are known conditions. 4.2 Contingency arrangements for faulty gates The Virgin Trains East Coast standard is that 75% of the gates (per array) must be fully operational for the gate line to be activated on a normal day. However, the Duty Customer Service Manager is responsible for the final decision on what constitutes an acceptable number of operational gates, and it will be dependent on the passengers flow through the station at any particular time on any one day and the maintenance agreement with Cubic. 4.3 Contingency arrangements for shortfall of staff Gates will be released and stay in the open position, in accordance with VTEC s risk assessments. A specific risk assessment with regard to staffing levels has been completed prior to launch and signed off by all key stakeholders, including Network Rail. 4.4 Emergency Arrangements In the event of an emergency requiring an evacuation, the Duty Customer Service Manager as the person responsible for managing the gate line, must: Issue instructions to open the automatic gate line Subsequently, advise gate line staff to leave automatic gate lines in the open position by using the SCU if it is considered that automatic gates cannot be adequately monitored; Advise when automatic gates are to be closed following evacuation of the station; The gate line staff can also be directly instructed by Network Rail in the event of a station emergency. NR SSM will intervene at any time if they perceive a safety hazard is being caused by the gate line. 4.5 Lighting There is complete coverage of all gate lines. In the event of a full lighting failure the gates will remain in the open position when in hours of darkness. 14 of 24

16 Risk assessments indicate that KGX has the highest risk of overcrowding at peak hours ( or ) or at any time and on any day where there are anticipated large movements of people. Control Measures In disruption situations, the management of the gates will be reviewed between the NR SSM, the VTEC Duty Customer Service Manager and other relevant TOC DSM s to agree joint decisions on the management of the gate line. All parties must consider staffing levels, staff welfare and customer information provision as outlined in PIDD 4.7 Planned / Special Events A plan for each special event is developed by the VTEC DCSM in conjunction with Network Rail Station Manager taking into account expected numbers of travellers/visitors, crowd control requirements local emergency and evacuation plans etc. This plan includes specific risk assessment for the event and contingencies. The Network Rail Managed Stations Manual provides the following guidelines in relation to crowd control for planned events: Gates are constantly staffed or left in the open position; in times of disruption and/or where appropriate. The Duty Customer Service Manager should before each peak period decide on how many gates will operate in either direction (otherwise the default setup will apply). In reaching this decision he / she should give consideration to the direction of the peak crowd flow (e.g. morning out and evening in) and allocate gates accordingly. Platforms 0 8 shall be considered to be overcrowded when the volume of people queuing to pass through the automatic ticket gates is back to the imaginary line identified in 5.2 at this time all automatic ticket gates should be opened by using the SCU but only if the passengers are stationary. If the passengers are still moving the imaginary line is not relevant. If the gate line has been opened during disruption, it can only be re-instated by the DCSM. The Duty Customer Service Manager will take the responsibility and make the decision to close the ticket gates for use if it is safe to do so. At times of disruption NR SSM will act as a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and will co-ordinate passenger movements by liaising with the VTEC SPOC (usually the DCSM when on duty otherwise the DTL). The Passenger information during disruption (PIDD) plan details the actions taken in disruption. 4.8 Evacuation Procedure The gates will be connected to the existing fire alarm. Therefore, in the event of an evacuation if the alarm sounds the gates will automatically open. The gate line staff must 16 of 24

5.2 Imaginary Lines In order to assist gate line control and to indicate to gate line staff when crowding is excessive and when gates should be opened, an imaginary line is marked on the paid side of

18 5.2 Imaginary Lines In order to assist gate line control and to indicate to gate line staff when crowding is excessive and when gates should be opened, an imaginary line is marked on the paid side of the Southern Concourse and the unpaid side of the Western Concourse. These control lines will ensure that platform operations are not impacted upon the paid side, and that concourse operations are not affected on the unpaid side. It is recommended that the imaginary lines are located approximately 7m from the gates. This guidance is provided in figure 14, section 16.9 of Arup s latest pedestrian flow analysis report issued on 24 th November of 24

21 6. Testing Testing of the Fire Panel Interface The interface test is carried on the normal test day (Tuesday and Thursday) that the fire panel and call points are tested. The gates remain switched on until the first call point is activated (making sure whilst this is being carried out no passengers are allowed entry/exit through the barriers). Once the first call point has been activated the paddles on the ATG s open. Prior to any other call points being tested the ATG fire interface is activated thus enabling the ATG s to close and continue to operate as normal. An entry in the East Coast safety check log book is made to record that the interface test has been carried out. NB - Please note that during the normal weekly tests carried out on the fire system, the ATG Fire Interface will be activated thereby isolating the ATG s from the fire system. This switch must be turned back after the weekly tests have finished linking the ATG s with our fire system. 6.3 Maintenance The procedure for maintenance of the gates and the station infrastructure adjacent to the gates effecting operation is managed utilising the existing fault system. Virgin Trains East Coast is responsible for reporting any issues direct to Cubic (the gate suppliers). The Virgin Trains East Coast Duty Customer Service Manager is responsible for determining if all gates should be open in the event of single or multiple gate failures. This is determined by the station conditions in terms of time of day, passenger levels and the view of the predetermined congestion points. A maintenance contract has been agreed between Virgin Trains East coast and Cubic for the operation of the gate lines from March This includes the service level agreements and gate line performance KPIs. 21 of 24

22 7. Training 7.1 Station Service Assistants The current role of Station Service Assistant (gate line staff) is responsible for the following: Providing assistance to passengers in the operation of ATGs, by operating the wide aisle gate for disabled and encumbered passengers where required, by operating the wide aisle gate for passengers with non compatible tickets and by giving directions to ticket sales points; Directing customers without tickets on the paid side to the Excess Fares window; Identifying hazards to the gate line operation and opening the gates in any emergency operation where required; Solely responsible for the safe operation of the gate line within peak periods; Ensuring the numbers of gates set for passenger flows in each direction are appropriate as per the flow diagrams; Identifying the development of queue lengths against pre set limits and determining when to open all gates to improve flow rates; Identify passengers encountering difficulties and directing to give them assistance; Opening all gates in an emergency; 7.2 Training Programme Prior to commencing gate line staff, all new staff under take the training modules listed below as part of the full East Coast Customer Service Training programme: Corporate Welcome; Customer Service Training; Ticket Knowledge; Conflict Avoidance; Gate line Training, including operation of the SCU and emergency procedures; Unpaid Fare Notices (Travel Centre staff only); 7.3 Training Records All persons trained/briefed on the operation of auto-gates complete the station specific signed record of training. This training must then be entered into Cascade, by the Station Manager with the signed sheet scanned and attached to the individual s training record. Training records will be made available for inspection upon request. Within Cascade they are recorded in the 'New Skills' category on the Skills & Competencies screen. 22 of 24

24 Automatic ticket gate Barrier CCST A device consisting of 2 stanchions and 2 paddles that will allow access to a valid ticket from either direction. Any obstruction either temporary or permanent which divides the station into paid and unpaid areas. Credit card sized ticket. Gate-line SCU Manual Gate A series of gates adjacent to each other form a gate line. Station Control Unit. A manually operated gate locked with a pin-code keypad that is large enough to allow a person access but not large enough for a vehicle. Normal Operation Paddle Standard day to day operation of the station. A transparent barrier attached to the stanchion that opens and closes to allow the gate to function. Each gate has 2 paddles. Stanchion A metal post incorporating the CCST reader, barcode reader and smart card reader. 2 stanchions make up one gate. 1 stanchion may form part of 2 gates. Standard Gate Automatic ticket gates are designed with a minimum clear walkway width of 620mm. All standard automatic ticket gates are power operated and permit a passenger with a valid ticket or pass to travel through if either inserted into the gate or read by a scanner on the gate. The design of automatic ticket gates are folding paddle which contrast in colour and texture to the other gate equipment. This design is in full compliance the Network Rail Group Standard and Station Services for Disabled Passengers (SRA) Vehicle Gate (VAG) Wide Aisle Gate (WAG) A manually operated gate locked with a pin-code keypad that is large enough to allow a vehicle access. An automatic ticket gate that is wide enough to allow access to a wheelchair or bicycle. It has slower closer paddles to accommodate passengers with mobility difficulties or those carrying children or encumbered by luggage. These provide a clear opening width of at least 900mm. 24 of 24

Document Control Identification. Document History. Authorisation. Rail Safety Manager Brookfield Rail

Document Control Identification Document History Authorisation Rail Safety Manager Brookfield Rail Table of Contents Glossary of this Rule... 4... 6... 6... 7... 7... 7... 8... 8... 8... 8... 9... 9...