Plans to close almost all of England’s remaining train station ticket offices were revealed by rail chiefs, amid concerns over the impact on the elderly and disabled.
The Railway Group has unveiled proposals which could see most of the 1,000 offices being closed, with facilities only staying open at the busiest stations.
The move will be seen as a bid by ministers and rail bosses to bounce striking union moguls into getting back around the negotiating table after discussions stalled. But it could backfire by angering already rock-bottom relations and sparking more strikes.
The militant RMT union, which has been striking since last June, has warned it would bring into effect the full industrial force of the union to stop any closures.
Campaign groups have also raised fears that elderly or vulnerable passengers who don’t have a smartphone or use the internet could miss out on more affordable tickets.
A 21-day consultation was launched, during which travellers could give their views. It means the volume of closures being proposed is not guaranteed.
There are 1,007 stations in England run by train companies operating under contracts administered by the Government. Signs are being displayed at the vast majority of these, advising passengers about the possible closure of the ticket office.
After a consultation, the Government will make the final decision on which offices will be axed. It’s not known how quickly the first sites will close, although the schedule is set to last for three years.
But Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, told a newspaper outlet that millions of older people are not online and therefore rely on traditional methods, including face-to-face ones, for everyday transactions such as buying train tickets.
She said that it was unfair if they’re excluded from accessing the cheapest prices, just because they don’t own a smartphone or other digital device.
She added that companies should be legally obliged to treat all their customers fairly when it comes to prices and access, whether people are internet savvy or not.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper will have the final say on the volume of closures.
But Vivienne Francis, the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s chief social change officer, told a newspaper outlet that a mass closure of rail ticket offices would have a hugely detrimental impact on blind and partially sighted people’s ability to buy tickets, arrange assistance, and critically travel independently.
Unfortunately, all services industries are closing their doors where you once could pay your bills. Now they’ve closed them and are saving millions of pounds but the bills still keep going up. Now even the banks are closing their doors. Service industry, of course, they’re not, they’re profit industries.
This is another nasty step towards a cashless society, but some might say why cling onto cash. Because it’s a protection against dictatorship, but instead, we’re moving towards a 100 per cent surveillance civilisation, and once all our money goes digital, if the bank shuts you down you’re going to be destitute.
I much prefer having a person to talk to when at the train station, particularly when you might need a refund. If there’s a physical person to hand, things are done in moments rather than days or weeks.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 