Published December 18, 2024 at 5:01 PM
Domestic. In the Stockholm Region, the Green Party has passed a pilot project that involves temporarily removing the barriers from a metro station.
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On Monday, an experiment began at the Näckrosen metro station, where the traditional ticket barriers have now been opened.
The trial, which will last for a year, will evaluate how a “barrier-free” system affects the passenger experience, ticket revenue and safety in public transport.
– This is an attempt to make public transport more accessible and enjoyable. We are inspired by, among others, Berlin and Oslo, their metro systems are completely barrier-free and often ranked highly. I think Stockholm can learn a lot from that, says Transport Region Councillor Anton Fendert (MP) in a press release.
Despite the removal of the barriers, a valid ticket will still be required to travel. Instead, passengers will use so-called payment posts, where the ticket is swiped before going down to the platform. SL also plans to carry out extra ticket checks on and near Näckrosen throughout the trial period.
The last trial with barrier-free lines was carried out in 2004 at Slussen and was met with positive feedback from passengers but resulted in increased losses in ticket revenue. Since then, the ticket system has been modernised and SL now hopes that more passengers will pay for themselves. The centre-right coalition in the Stockholm region wants to find out with this test whether barrier-free is a solution for the future.
– We know that many passengers dislike the barriers. In rush hour traffic, they can cause congestion and some passengers are worried about getting squeezed. Especially if you are travelling with a pram, wheelchair or large bags, the barriers can be a stressful moment. Opening the barriers will be a way to literally tear down barriers to traveling by public transport, says Anton Fendert.
During the year-long project, evaluations will be made to analyze the effects on ticket fraud, safety and passenger flows. The results will determine whether the experiment can become permanent in the future of Stockholm traffic.