Rail companies have come under fire after it was announced that almost all of the country's remaining ticket offices will be closed under new plans to modernise Britain's railways.
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group announced this week that there would be a consultation with passengers on staff moving out of ticket offices and onto station platforms, concourses and ticket halls.
The RDG argue that just 12% of tickets sold last year were purchased via ticket offices, and claim that the new proposals will mean more face-to-face support available across the network.
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Under the proposals, almost all of the remaining 1,007 ticket offices will close - but politicians and campaigners have said they do not take into account the impact on elderly or disabled passengers. Wansbeck's Labour MP Ian Lavery vowed to fight the changes after Morpeth was announced as one of those that could close.
Mr Lavery said: "The announcement that Morpeth Train Station ticket office is set to close is yet another disaster of privatisation. Sadly the majority of train stations will now no longer be accessible places for elderly and disabled passengers who rely on the support of ticket office staff to navigate ticketing and travel arrangements.
"Never mind rail operators talking about modernisation, this decision is made entirely to increase their profit, while ordinary hard working people are left to make do with further cuts to their safety and convenience on public transport. This news is devastating for those who rely on ticket offices for safe travelling.
“Technology should be used at train stations and on trains to enhance and improve the experience, not to make it harder and less pleasant to travel. I will continue to do what I can to fight back against this decision and in the long run bring our rail back into public hands where it belongs, ran for the people rather than for profit."
Mr Lavery also urged residents to have their say by emailing Northern Rail to oppose the closure of the Morpeth ticket office.
The announcement comes just days after Northumberland county councillor and rail campaigner Georgina Hill called for clarity on the future of the ticket office at Berwick. Coun Hill said she had been informed by reliable sources that the ticket office would close and was concerned the move would have a negative impact on passengers.
Speaking after the potential closures were announced, Coun Hill said: "In terms of our campaign to keep the Berwick ticket office open, the fact that this mean, cost-cutting measure is happening across the country poses challenges and opportunities- although, nobody can have much confidence that the Government and railway companies are prepared to listen.
"I suspect that a handful of ticket offices , from the very long list of planned closures will be retained or, more likely, given a stay of execution so that they can try to claim that they have listened and conducted more that a show consultation.
"I hope that they will, at least, properly assess the demographics of each area, the strategic position and the distances to the nearest other ticket office when making the decision on which ones to save. I want to be given reassurance that this mean, cost-cutting measure will result in the consolation that next January we will not see the usual inflation-busting increase in rail fares - but somehow I doubt it.”
As part of the announcement, rail companies also unveiled a series of "pledges" for passengers about the new proposals.
They are:
- There will be more staff available to give face to face help to customers out in stations than there are today
- Customers will never have to travel out of their way to buy tickets
- Those with accessibility needs will always be supported
- All rail staff will be treated fairly and their new roles will be more engaging
It was also pointed out that stations without ticket offices already make up 43% of all the stations operating across the UK. A further 40% are only staffed part-time.
Jacqueline Starr, the chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, defended the decision.
She said: "The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them. With just 12% of tickets being sold from ticket offices last year, and 99% of those transactions being available on TVMs or online, our proposals would mean more staff on hand on to give face to face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.
“Our commitment is that we will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training to move into new more engaging roles. We also understand that our customers have differing needs, which is why the industry widely sought the views of accessibility and passenger groups when creating these proposals, and will continue to through the consultation.
"We encourage those who wish to take part to go to their local train company website or visit Transport Focus or London Travelwatch.”
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