Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Business
Alan Jones

Union highlights claims of staff shortages at railway ticket offices

A rail union is to hold a series of protests highlighting claims of staff shortages at ticket offices.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT ) said there was understaffing at a number of stations on the West Coast mainline served by Avanti.

The RMT said plans to close ticket offices across the country were dropped after opposition from unions and passengers but accused Avanti of not replacing staff in recent months.

The RMT said there was a shortage of workers at stations including Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, and London Euston.

Eddie Dempsey of the RMT (Ian West/PA) (PA Archive)

RMT activists will be leafleting stations in Birmingham, London and Manchester to highlight the campaign in the coming weeks.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said:  “The public made it clear that they value and rely on station ticket offices.

“Now that these offices have been saved, they must be properly staffed.

Passengers expect reliability and face-to-face service, and our members deserve the resources and support to deliver that.

“We are urging Avanti to act responsibly and restore staffing levels as a matter of priority.”

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “We have the right level of staffing at all our stations across the West Coast Main Line and are recruiting even more people to ensure that our customers continue to get a high quality of service at these locations.

“We are disappointed with this response from the RMT as we have been in discussions with them about this subject over recent months, and we remain committed to working with them on this.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.