‘A failure to read the room’ - union calls for government to scrap plans to close railway ticket offices

Demonstrations at planned train station ticket office closures have taken place across the country

The TSSA have written to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, after it was revealed by Transport for London and Transport Focus that close to 700,000 people had responded to the consultation on the future of ticket offices.

TSSA’s Interim General Secretary, Peter Pendle said the 680,000 responses had been ‘unprecedented’ with very few likely to be in favour of the government’s plans which 'have caused uproar’.

Pendle goes on to state in the letter: ‘At a time when passengers are crying out for a fair deal, the government seems intent on delivering a post-pandemic body blow which tears down our railways.

"I'm afraid this is a failure to read the room’.

The Times said it was ‘the biggest ever consultation response, surpassing the government’s 2012 equal marriage review which attracted 228,000 responses and the 2016 one on the BBC Charter, which was answered by 192,000 people and organisations.’

Pendle added: “As we’ve seen the number of people vocalising their opposition to the plans relentlessly climb over the last few months, TSSA has also been hearing countless firs-thand stories of people who rely on ticket offices every single day.

“Disability and pensioner groups are reeling, their independence and safety under threat. Thousands of rail staff are going into work with redundancy looming over them.

"Families already facing the brunt of the cost of living crisis are wondering how they will locate the best ticket prices without the steady hand of dedicated ticket officers.”

The News has recently reported that both Havant MP Alan Mak and former Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson have written to rail bosses outlining their concerns.

Mak said in his letter to South Western Railways: "I am opposing the closure of ticket offices or the reduction of staffing hours at all stations across the Havant constituency, ensuring that customers who experience difficulty in using ticket machines and online payments are still able to travel freely.”

In a letter to SWR, Vernon-Jackson said: “I am seriously concerned that the current proposals are rushed, poorly thought through, and will damage the independence and access to employment, education, and leisure activities for the most vulnerable citizens and indeed many other residents of Portsmouth.

"They will do nothing to encourage greater use of rail travel as the environmental choice. In fact, they will deter many passengers, leading to a potential spiral of decline.”