NEW ticket barriers at Didcot Parkway could deter visitors from calling in at Didcot Railway Centre, it is feared.

Rail operator First Great Western is planning to introduce ticket barriers at the station by November next year.

If the barriers are brought in at the ticket office at the front of the station it would block off the entrance to the railway centre, which is entered from the subway beneath the platforms.

Staff at the popular steam railway attraction are talking to station managers at First Great Western to find a solution.

First Great Western spokesman John Ratchford said: “As with any major station improvement, we will work closely with our customers and stakeholders to minimise disruption – which in this case also means ensuring any changes to the station won’t adversely affect access to the excellent Didcot Railway Centre.”

Railway Centre manager Roger Orchard said: “The ticket barriers have been on the cards for a long time and we want to make sure they are set up in such a way that they are not a deterrent for our customers.

“The barriers will come in during the latter part of 2012 so we want to make sure that a system is in place that is acceptable to us.”