train station gates

by H,M SOETENS

All metro stations and 82 of the 410 train stations[34] are or will be closed with gates. One gate has double glass doors, which open automatically at check-in or check-out and close again after a few seconds. A card reader on the outside of a gate (the side outside the OV-chipkaart area) is for check-in, and a card reader on the inside (the side inside the OV-chipkaart area) is for check-out.

The gates at metro stations are already in use and at the NS they are gradually being closed. Often the public transport chip card area does not cover the entire station, but only the platforms and part of the station hall or traverse. In so far as the gates do not cover the entire width of the passageway, there are additional glass partitions. Depending on the layout of the station, there are sometimes separate gates on the platform. If passengers have to change to another platform, this can be unfavourable. An area bounded by card readers on poles can also be called a public transport chip card area, but the boundary is not always so concrete; for example, there may be one at the entrance to a platform and another a little further down the road.

The gates prevent undeclared driving; this can increase safety and comfort for the paying travellers. In addition, this will partly provide more income because undeclared drivers will pay and partly more space because undeclared drivers will stay away.