Government in U turn on Ticket Office closures

In a win for rail passengers fighting back, the Government has undertaken a U-turn. It actually listened. Mass action by passengers has worked and the proposed closure of ticket offices has been scrapped.

The Government and train operators’ reasoning was that only 1 in 8 people used ticket offices. However, these are vulnerable people, the elderly and people with disabilities, as discussed in my piece Ticket Office Closures: Government and Rail Delivery Group fail to consider vulnerable passengers.

Train operators and the Government wanted to close 974 ticket offices across England. Under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement they were obliged to consult with passengers. That consultation closed on 1 September 2023.

Transport for All, along with 50 organisations representing disabled people and their allies, wrote a joint letter objecting to the proposals.

There was a record number of responses received for a consultation. Ticket office consultation closes with over half a million responses received. London TravelWatch and Transport Focus received 680,000 responses combined. There would have been more received in total, as individuals and other consumer organisations responded.

Instructed by Government to find savings, train operators are not pleased.

Perhaps they could save money by reducing the huge pay outs they make to directors? For example, whilst many were losing their jobs and taking pay cuts in the financial years 2020 to 2021, total GWR directors’ pay increased by £126,000 (over 18%) from £685,000 in 2020 to £811,000 in 2021.

And in 2021 the top 73 highest earners at Network Rail earned a combined total of £15 million per year!

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