Aaron Smith, Enfield and Lea Valley Socialist Party
This July, the government and Train Operating Companies announced plans to close nearly 1,000 ticket offices by the end of 2024. A public consultation released alongside it, originally for only three weeks, has now been extended to September following backlash from rail trade unions and disability groups. Over 300,000 people have taken part in the consultation so far. If these plans go ahead as the bosses try to maintain their profits, jobs will be lost.
Ticket office and rail staff are invaluable for their help and advice. I use trains most days and always see them helping people with many different needs and can’t imagine the service without them.
As an autistic person, accessibility is important for everything I interact with. Ticket offices help avoid confusion and unnecessary stress when there are cancellations, delays and strikes. Ticket machines are not a suitable replacement to staff as they are confusing to use and unreliable. Train tickets are incredibly complicated because of a range of restrictions, classes, and valid routes. There can be hundreds of ticket options for any given journey. It is not possible for ticket machines to show every possible valid ticket option, The Sunday Times reported that an internal rail industry document states that nearly one in five tickets won’t be available from the machines, often some of the cheapest! Ticket office closures will mean more people will be fined for having the wrong ticket, through no fault of their own.
These proposals are the latest round of cuts which will make trains less safe, reliable and welcoming. Services were cut during Covid lockdowns and many never restored. Stations have lost their staff already and facilities such as toilets and waiting rooms have closed. At a time of worsening climate change, we need to make public transport better and cheaper. All of the private companies making a profit from rail need to be nationalised, along with the buses. A programme of mass investment across the country as part of a democratic plan for transport would mean public transport could be fully integrated, high quality and free.
Socialist Party campaigning against the closures
Wakefield
On 21 July, Socialist Party members held a campaign stall in Wakefield precinct against ticket office closures. Wakefield Westgate rail station has the only staffed ticket office in the district and is threatened with closure. A public meeting organised by the RMT to oppose the plans had taken place at the town hall two days earlier.
A good number of those hearing our slogans looked stunned to find out the huge level of ticket office closures being proposed. People took RMT cards to register their views against the government proposals. Large numbers had no patience with being forced to book tickets online. People didn’t trust that train companies would continue to pay staff to help disabled or elderly passengers, if ticket offices disappeared.
John Vasey, Wakefield and District Socialist Party
Hull
Over the past few weeks, Hull Socialist Party members have been consistently campaigning against the ticket office closure at Hull Interchange station. On two occasions we joined the RMT picket line and our solidarity has been warmly welcomed by the picket organiser giving us permission to set up our Socialist Party stall. One thing the vast majority of people we speak to agree on; people want the choice of personal contact when they purchase a ticket, ask advice or have a question about their journey.
Phil Culshaw, Hull Socialist Party
