Future of Ticket Office Consultations launched

[weeklycommuter]

Section 29 of the Act is regarding the closure of a station or part such used for providing a passenger service such as an induvial platform not a ticket office, information office, buffet or other ancillary purpose. The King of the North is talking cobblers but I assume some expensive lawyers have a different opinion.

Railways Act 2005

An Act to amend the law relating to the provision and regulation of railway services; and for connected purposes.

www.legislation.gov.uk

29 Proposal by operator to close station
(1) This section applies where—
(a) the operator of a station proposes to discontinue the use of a station or of some part of it;
(b) the station or, as the case may be, that part of it has, at any time within the preceding five years, been used for or in connection with the provision of services for the carriage of passengers by railway;
(c) the station or that part of it is not secured;
(d) the station or that part of it is not excluded from the application of this section by an order under section 38; and
(e) the proposal is not a proposal for a minor modification.
Does the sale of rail tickets from a ticket office at a railway station count as being used for or in connection with the provision of services for the carriage of passengers by railway?

 

[tomuk]

Railways Act 2005

An Act to amend the law relating to the provision and regulation of railway services; and for connected purposes.

www.legislation.gov.uk

29 Proposal by operator to close station
(1) This section applies where—
(a) the operator of a station proposes to discontinue the use of a station or of some part of it;
(b) the station or, as the case may be, that part of it has, at any time within the preceding five years, been used for or in connection with the provision of services for the carriage of passengers by railway;
(c) the station or that part of it is not secured;
(d) the station or that part of it is not excluded from the application of this section by an order under section 38; and
(e) the proposal is not a proposal for a minor modification.
Does the sale of rail tickets from a ticket office at a railway station count as being used for or in connection with the provision of services for the carriage of passengers by railway?

I don't believe it does this is about the ability to remove station infrastructure required to run a rail service. Regulated ticket offices are dealt with under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement the current consultation being done to meet those requirements.

 

[HSTEd]

(1) This section applies where—
....
(c) the station or that part of it is not secured;
.....
Does the sale of rail tickets from a ticket office at a railway station count as being used for or in connection with the provision of services for the carriage of passengers by railway?

Surely a ticket office counts as secured, since the public are not permitted to wander at will through it?

Otherwise this legislation could be interpreted as requiring a 12 week consultation if they want to get rid of a broom cupboard!

 

[Krokodil]

I guess a ticket office could explain the split when handing the ticket(s) over and also make sure they're valid on the train the passenger intends to get (and going forward, if split ticketing becomes the norm without using special sites, the conditions need to be changed to allow people to use them on trains that don't call at the split point and be done with).

Or we could just simplify fare setting so that there's no need to split.

At too high a cost.

The railway receives far too much subsidy for what it delivers. What would you prefer, destaffing or closures?

How much do you predict will be saved by "moving ticket office staff out from behind the glass"? How does that compare with (for example) Agility's government licence to print money?

Merseyrail have it right. Every station is staffed 15 minutes before the first train to 15 minutes after the last train. The staff don't sit in the ticket office all day, they provide assistance, complete litter picks, make themselves known on the platform etc. At larger stations, they also sell products such as drinks, food and magazines. More TOCs should be looking at the Merseyrail model in my opinion. It is proven to work regardless of whether you like it or not.

One thing they should change is fit barriers to some more of the busier stations.

The countries who really know how to do public transport in Europe respectfully disagree.

Switzerland is widely acknowledged as really doing public transport well. Plenty of stations there with booking offices. Even at those without you're not going to be stung for buying a Northern-only ticket at a TVM. Do the Swiss even have peak restrictions?

The same app you use for ticketing will tell you what platform to go to, and inform you of any delays (as will the information screens and announcements once you actually get to the station).

Not reliably. I've had to reassure passengers that they can ignore their app, their train hasn't really been cancelled (such as when a service has been restarted as a VSTP additional).

"Clones can think creatively, you will find them immensely superior to droids"

In terms of ticket office staff\offices it is quite likely, as Avanti have chosen, that due to the general uptake of online and advance fares that large stations served by long distance operators do actually require less ticket office staff.

What Avanti have failed to recognise is that their booking offices don't solely exist to service their own trains. Many (or most) of them are at stations heavily served by regional operators too.

 

[tomuk]

What Avanti have failed to recognise is that their booking offices don't solely exist to service their own trains. Many (or most) of them are at stations heavily served by regional operators too.

Which I have said is a concern and have also suggested that ticket retail at the major Avanti stations like Euston, New Street, Picc etc be transferred to the regional TOC and\or TfL\TfWM\TfGM. I would think that Picc needs a proper Travel Centre\Ticket Office more than Glossop.

 

[yorksrob]

Section 29 of the Act is regarding the closure of a station or part such used for providing a passenger service such as an induvial platform not a ticket office, information office, buffet or other ancillary purpose. The King of the North is talking cobblers but I assume some expensive lawyers have a different opinion.

It's fairly standard for unpopular policies to be attacked with vexatious legal action these days.

Especially with devolved governments using it in a desperate attempt to obtain political favour by attacking central government.

I'd say that tying up the clown cabinet in Westminster in a course of legal action that's only open due to their own lack of competence, is a fairly sensible strategy for devolved administrations.

 

[weeklycommuter]

I don't believe it does this is about the ability to remove station infrastructure required to run a rail service. Regulated ticket offices are dealt with under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement the current consultation being done to meet those requirements.

I do not know what view a court would take. Even if there is separate legislation for ticket offices and this legislation was not intended for ticket offices it does not stop a court from deciding that this legislation applies to ticket offices.

 

[Harold Hill]

I don't understand how anyone, least of all anyone who actually works for the railway, can be be in favour of this insane idea of closing ticket offices.

 

[Bletchleyite]

How much do you predict will be saved by "moving ticket office staff out from behind the glass"?

We're talking about headcount reductions here, not simply moving people from behind the glass. I am advocating totally destaffing the majority of minor stations (which sounds massive, but in reality in most cases means removing one or two shifts, possibly three at some Merseyrail stations).

How does that compare with (for example) Agility's government licence to print money?

Whose?

One thing they should change is fit barriers to some more of the busier stations.

One thing that would be worthwhile would be changing the setup of gatelines so that there's a "station reception" at the end of the gateline which is an obvious point to go to to show your ticket if it doesn't work, to ask for assistance or even, if you really must, to buy a ticket. That one member of staff could handle the lot rather than needing gateline staff AND a booking office; if a given station had a safety/ASB issue an additional contract security guard could be provided.

Switzerland is widely acknowledged as really doing public transport well. Plenty of stations there with booking offices.

CH has booking offices at some stations - basically (though it's not *quite* that simple) those served by IC and IR services. Those only served by R, RE or S tend not to. I think that's a reasonably satisfactory situation (indeed it's more like what I'd expected to actually see rather than the bodge job we ended up with), and if applied to the UK would still result in a very large number of destaffings, for instance almost all of Merseyrail, plus e.g. most of the south WCML stations.

Even at those without you're not going to be stung for buying a Northern-only ticket at a TVM. Do the Swiss even have peak restrictions?

No. Most European countries don't. They do however have online only Advances which cannot be purchased at a station.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jul 2023 ==

Which I have said is a concern and have also suggested that ticket retail at the major Avanti stations like Euston, New Street, Picc etc be transferred to the regional TOC and\or TfL\TfWM\TfGM. I would think that Picc needs a proper Travel Centre\Ticket Office more than Glossop.

Totally agree. If Avanti don't want to staff Euston or New St then WMT should, similarly Northern at Manc Picc. It's certainly within their criteria to retain.

 

[12LDA28C]

At my local station right now there is a group of around 30 protesters who are visually impaired or have other various disabilities, demonstrating against the proposed ticket office closures. I wonder what advocates of the proposal such as @Bletchleyite would say to them if they were here to engage with these people?

 

[Bletchleyite]

At my local station right now there is a group of around 30 protesters who are visually impaired or have other various disabilities, demonstrating against the proposed ticket office closures. I wonder what advocates of the proposal such as @Bletchleyite would say to them if they were here to engage with them?

It will be necessary to work out alternative measures to provide for those with disabilities who for whatever reason cannot use self-service options. It would as I've said before be cheaper to give totally free national travel to everyone who is diagnosed as blind, for instance (this is one way London avoided major issues with Tube ticket office closures), but there are other options like telesales or simply allowing purchase from the guard in all circumstances. While a better roving assistance provision might be an improvement for those who live near stations which are currently already unstaffed.

In most smaller stations, the guard will be able to provide all assistance necessary. And perhaps on DOO routes adding an OBS role would be an improvement for everyone over someone sat behind glass, and cheaper as on almost all routes there are fewer unit diagrams than stations? It'd also make things totally standardised - if you want the ramp ask the guard* for it, and obviously guards will look out for wheelchair users on the platform and ask them if they want it - which is how it was always done at unstaffed North West stations for years.

I don't think going there and shouting at them would be of any benefit, but there does need to be formal engagement with them on what would work. If they choose not to engage, then simply seek legal advice on what would be reasonable adjustments and put those in, and they'll have them and like them. Their choice - wave banners or engage productively. (Though it would help if the Government also engaged productively).

* People don't need to concern themselves about whether that person's job title is guard, conductor or OBS - just "the bod on the train".

 

[MikeWM]

Along with Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, Steve Rotheram of Liverpool city region, Oliver Coppard of South Yorkshire, and Nik Johnson of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Burnham will send a pre-action protocol letter to operators, setting out their legal challenge.

It's good to see the rather stupid (and largely unwanted) position of 'Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough' trying to do something useful, whether there are grounds for such a challenge or not.

Given we seem to be stuck with this silly thing, Mr Johnson may as well occupy it doing things like this.

 

[ClivePage]

It will be necessary to work out alternative measures to provide for those with disabilities who for whatever reason cannot use self-service options. It would as I've said before be cheaper to give totally free national travel to everyone who is diagnosed as blind, for instance (this is one way London avoided major issues with Tube ticket office closures), but there are other options like telesales or simply allowing purchase from the guard in all circumstances. While a better roving assistance provision might be an improvement for those who live near stations which are currently already unstaffed.

In most smaller stations, the guard will be able to provide all assistance necessary. And perhaps on DOO routes adding an OBS role would be an improvement for everyone over someone sat behind glass, and cheaper as on almost all routes there are fewer unit diagrams than stations?

I don't think going there and shouting at them would be of any benefit, but there does need to be formal engagement with them on what would work. If they choose not to engage, then simply seek legal advice on what would be reasonable adjustments and put those in, and they'll have them and like them. Their choice - wave banners or engage productively. (Though it would help if the Government also engaged productively).

I just discovered yesterday that at London Bridge it is impossible to buy a ticket to Luton or Luton Airport Parkway or Bedford from any of the machines. Not any type of ticket. But there are 6 trains/hour on the route. This is stupidity. Ticket office closures should not be permitted until ticket machines are provided that are capable of selling any ticket to anywhere on the system. Incidentally I complained about this issue to SouthEastern in 2021 who said they were aware of it and hoped to fix it soon. But soon has not arrived yet on this railway.

 

[12LDA28C]

In most smaller stations, the guard will be able to provide all assistance necessary. And perhaps on DOO routes adding an OBS role would be an improvement for everyone over someone sat behind glass, and cheaper as on almost all routes there are fewer unit diagrams than stations? It'd also make things totally standardised - if you want the ramp ask the guard* for it, and obviously guards will look out for wheelchair users on the platform and ask them if they want it - which is how it was always done at unstaffed North West stations for years.

I'm not sure adding an OBS role on DOO routes would achieve the objective of saving money. Take the Chiltern line for example on which you seem to travel regularly, many of the smaller stations have one of two members of ticket office staff, they might even need to recruit more staff if they want an OBS on every train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not sure adding an OBS role on DOO routes would achieve the objective of saving money. Take the Chiltern line for example on which you seem to travel regularly, many of the smaller stations have one of two members of ticket office staff, they might even need to recruit more staff if they want an OBS on every train.

There aren't more unit diagrams on Chiltern than there are station booking office shifts if staffed for the full period of service. Only something like Merseyrail, Thameslink or the Lizzie would come close to that.

 

[12LDA28C]

There aren't more unit diagrams on Chiltern than there are station booking office shifts if staffed for the full period of service. Only something like Merseyrail, Thameslink or the Lizzie would come close to that.

I'm not sure exactly what unit diagrams has to do with it. A unit diagram might start at 0500 and finish at 0100. Clearly an OBS shift would not last 20 hours. A more accurate measure would be the number of individual trains run and how they could be covered within a typical 7-8 hour shift including relevant break(s).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not sure exactly what unit diagrams has to do with it. A unit diagram might start at 0500 and finish at 0100. Clearly an OBS shift would not last 20 hours. A more accurate measure would be the number of individual trains run and how they could be covered within a typical 7-8 hour shift including relevant break(s).

The point is that a second member of staff on trains would not require more staff than staffing booking offices on the vast majority of the network, and would thus be cheaper (and preferred by a lot of people).

Of course at larger stations assistance is provided by staff other than the booking office, so these would be unaffected. Booking office staff at Euston for instance have no involvement at all in assistance, there's a separate assistance reception and provision is by Network Rail.

 

[Krokodil]

We're talking about headcount reductions here, not simply moving people from behind the glass. I am advocating totally destaffing the majority of minor stations

Well at least you're honest about it, I suppose. That's a step-up from our esteemed minister.

So go on, how much do you expect to save by destaffing stations?

Whose?

Agility Trains. The consortium that won the DfT contracts to supply and maintain class 800 and 801 units for the GW and EC franchises. They are doing very well out of those poorly-written contracts (heads I win, tails you lose).

The costs of government cock-ups such as this (not to mention things like installing ETCS on EMUs that they then scrapped) is going to be far more than the cost of a few single-manned booking offices.

One thing that would be worthwhile would be changing the setup of gatelines so that there's a "station reception" at the end of the gateline which is an obvious point to go to to show your ticket if it doesn't work, to ask for assistance or even, if you really must, to buy a ticket. That one member of staff could handle the lot rather than needing gateline staff AND a booking office; if a given station had a safety/ASB issue an additional contract security guard could be provided.

Gatelines usually need two members of staff because lone working is risky in a position that will inevitably encounter conflict.

Take Colwyn Bay as an example of how it could be done, the gateline is right outside the booking office glass, such that the booking office clerk is watching the back of the gateline attendant. A fraction of the footfall of a very large number of Merseyrail stations, yet Arriva decided to install a gateline. When they did the revenue recovered surpassed all expectations by a factor of eight, and paid for the capital in a matter of months. Obviously there is a difference on Merseyrail in that almost everyone is travelling to central Liverpool and uses a ticket that allows repeat journeys so there's less incentive to avoid paying if boarding at some of the minor stations.

Most LU stations are staffed and barriered from first to last train, why shouldn't stations with the same footfall be on Merseyside?

CH has booking offices at some stations - basically (though it's not *quite* that simple) those served by IC and IR services. Those only served by R, RE or S tend not to. I think that's a reasonably satisfactory situation (indeed it's more like what I'd expected to actually see rather than the bodge job we ended up with), and if applied to the UK would still result in a very large number of destaffings, for instance almost all of Merseyrail, plus e.g. most of the south WCML stations.

And yet they have staff at some stations that BR would have destaffed in the 1960s. Facilities seem to be generally better, mind. Left Luggage for example is provided at some stations serving rural villages in Switzerland, whereas in the UK it's not even a feature of most of the largest stations.

 

[jon0844]

Are we going to ask visually impaired people to find the right platform, identify the train (especially at locations with low volume announcements or none at all early morning and evening due to noise complaints) and hope a guard or OBS spots them? Or will they need to seek out the staff?

As against going to the ticket office where staff can come and assist them to the platforms, the train, and on to the train - plus, when it's more likely DOO, ensure someone will meet them at the other end...

And giving them free travel doesn't really help them.

 

[Railwaycat]

We're talking about headcount reductions here, not simply moving people from behind the glass. I am advocating totally destaffing the majority of minor stations (which sounds massive, but in reality in most cases means removing one or two shifts, possibly three at some Merseyrail stations).

And the problem is you either can't understand the consequences of such an action on the facilities provided at those 'minor' stations, or you couldn't care less. Seems to me it's both.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well at least you're honest about it, I suppose. That's a step-up from our esteemed minister.

So go on, how much do you expect to save by destaffing stations?

I don't have, and am not entitled to have, information on the salaries and other costs of booking office staff, so how am I supposed to give you a figure? I clearly can't. But clearly HMG thinks it will be a significant saving.

Gatelines usually need two members of staff because lone working is risky in a position that will inevitably encounter conflict.

Interesting, as Bletchley was often single-staffed when they used to get a security contractor to do it (which stopped with COVID).

Take Colwyn Bay as an example of how it could be done, the gateline is right outside the booking office glass, such that the booking office clerk is watching the back of the gateline attendant. A fraction of the footfall of a very large number of Merseyrail stations, yet Arriva decided to install a gateline. When they did the revenue recovered surpassed all expectations by a factor of eight, and paid for the capital in a matter of months. Obviously there is a difference on Merseyrail in that almost everyone is travelling to central Liverpool and uses a ticket that allows repeat journeys so there's less incentive to avoid paying if boarding at some of the minor stations.

Most LU stations are staffed and barriered from first to last train, why shouldn't stations with the same footfall be on Merseyside?

For the reason you yourself just stated - almost everyone is going to central Liverpool, and mostly on day tickets which aren't much different in price for different journey lengths, so to get the vast majority of the revenue you just need to gate that. The very small amount of revenue from kids going from Aughton Park to Town Green to see their mates isn't worth chasing, and you'll get some of it anyway if the guards check tickets and thus provide a deterrent. (That's one key difference from LU - Merseyrail has guards, LU doesn't).

The North Wales Coast differs from Merseyrail in that there's a lot of intermediate travel, there's no one obvious big destination that almost everyone is going to. It's also far longer and has larger distances between stations, so intermediate fares are higher than Merseyrail.

And yet they have staff at some stations that BR would have destaffed in the 1960s.

Which ones? If you mean narrow gauge lines, they're a bit of a law unto themselves at times. And there are no platform staff at any Swiss station - dispatch is always by the driver on DOO trains or the guard on guarded ones.

Facilities seem to be generally better, mind. Left Luggage for example is provided at some stations serving rural villages in Switzerland, whereas in the UK it's not even a feature of most of the largest stations.

That's because they haven't been the target of terrorist action so lockers can still be used. I don't doubt that if lockers were still allowed at UK stations we would find them at far more, as once you've installed them there isn't an ongoing cost, they just bring in income. Unlike vending machines you don't even need to stock them, just collect the dosh - and if they're card only not even that.

 

[Krokodil]

But clearly HMG thinks it will be a significant saving.

Do they? I mean, they're still insisting that there won't be destaffing and that this is just about "moving staff out from behind the glass". Not that I ever take anything a politician says at face value.

Given the chaotic and haphazard way in which these closures are distributed, I doubt that the government has the foggiest idea about what will or won't be saved.

Which ones? If you mean narrow gauge lines, they're a bit of a law unto themselves at times.

I don't spend much time on the standard gauge, it's true, mostly using IR services when I do. They clearly recognise the value though of having ticket offices in touristy areas. Often flogging souvenirs at the same time. The Swiss wouldn't be closing the ticket office at Penrith for example.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jul 2023 ==

In Germany meanwhile I've used a ticket office at a minor standard gauge interchange, served only by local DMUs.

Granted, Sweden has got rid of the lot, but I'm not going to take lessons from a railway that is described as "unwelcoming to tourists" by a resident.

 

[D6130]

Granted, Sweden has got rid of the lot, but I'm not going to take lessons from a railway that is described as "unwelcoming to tourists" by a resident.

The Netherlands shut all their ticket offices even before Sweden, IIRC.

I remember nearly twenty years ago changing trains at Marktredwitz in Bavaria and having to purchase tickets in the small supermarket in the station building....a la MerseyRail.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't spend much time on the standard gauge, it's true, mostly using IR services when I do. They clearly recognise the value though of having ticket offices in touristy areas. Often flogging souvenirs at the same time. The Swiss wouldn't be closing the ticket office at Penrith for example.

I too wouldn't close Windermere or Penrith. These should become "welcome centres", which sell rail tickets and provide information as a full service ticket office, but also bus tickets, book hotels and activities, call taxis and sell souvenirs as well as provide tourist information, and perhaps also sell basic refreshments though I accept Windermere is right next to Booths where these can be purchased, and Penrith right next to Maccy D's. If they did all of this they'd likely be profitable in their own right.

Similar arrangements would work well at the main non-commuter London termini like Euston, Paddington and St Pancras, and all airports. I'd even add one at Heathrow, which doesn't have a proper national ticket office.

However there's absolutely no need for a booking office at your typical suburban single-window station like Aughton Park, or Heaton Chapel, or Bletchley*, or any one of hundreds of "local stations for local people". Allow e-tickets and add contactless and people mostly won't want anything else, and a TVM can deal with the odd exception.

* Technically two windows but only one is ever open.

 

[kkong]

Surely a ticket office counts as secured, since the public are not permitted to wander at will through it?

"Secured" in the context of the Act doesn't have the meaning you think it does.

In the Act, "secured" relates to railway stations / networks / services which the National Authority has a duty to provide.

National Authority = Secretary of State for Transport (England), Welsh Ministers (Wales) or Scottish Ministers (Scotland) as applicable to the station's location.

 

[tomuk]

I do not know what view a court would take. Even if there is separate legislation for ticket offices and this legislation was not intended for ticket offices it does not stop a court from deciding that this legislation applies to ticket offices.

It does because the court has to follow the legislation it can't make it up. The Section 29 rights\obligations are purely regards station infrastructure required to run a service. They are there to stop for example TOC A who are the station operator closing say the subway to Platform 3 at their station because they only use Platforms 1 and 2 thereby stopping TOC B who would use Platform 3 from using the station.

 

[Falcon1200]

Are we going to ask visually impaired people to find the right platform, identify the train (especially at locations with low volume announcements or none at all early morning and evening due to noise complaints) and hope a guard or OBS spots them? Or will they need to seek out the staff?

But of course, as has no doubt been mentioned previously, scores of stations are partially or totally unstaffed already, and have been for decades.

As against going to the ticket office where staff can come and assist them to the platforms, the train, and on to the train -

If, and it is a big if, what is being proposed actually happens, staff will surely be better placed to assist passengers if they are outside instead of locked away in a ticket office; How often do ticket office staff actually stop selling tickets, exit and lock up the ticket office and assist passengers onto trains? But I very much share the concerns that the staff based outside the ticket office will not actually last very long.

The RMT had a group outside the Gordon Street entrance to Glasgow Central this morning, and while the boom box playing at high volume deafening everyone was annoying, I took one of their 'Save our Railway Ticket Offices' cards and will submit my objection. All ticket offices cannot and should not be sacrosanct, but closing every one, including at busy stations, is a complete nonsense.

 

[NeilCr]

But of course, as has no doubt been mentioned previously, scores of stations are partially or totally unstaffed already, and have been for decades.



If, and it is a big if, what is being proposed actually happens, staff will surely be better placed to assist passengers if they are outside instead of locked away in a ticket office; How often do ticket office staff actually stop selling tickets, exit and lock up the ticket office and assist passengers onto trains? But I very much share the concerns that the staff based outside the ticket office will not actually last very long.

The RMT had a group outside the Gordon Street entrance to Glasgow Central this morning, and while the boom box playing at high volume deafening everyone was annoying, I took one of their 'Save our Railway Ticket Offices' cards and will submit my objection. All ticket offices cannot and should not be sacrosanct, but closing every one, including at busy stations, is a complete nonsense.

As I've said

To get to the four platforms at Ramsgate you have to go through a longish underpass from the main hall

If the ticket office is closed as proposed and the "assistance" is in the main hall my partially sighted partner has to identify that person. Will they always be there?

If they are on the platforms then she has little chance. First up she has to get to the right platform for her train. If she has to pay on the train then she will struggle to find the train manager/guard/whatever they are called

If she stays seated then she will be stressed in case they don't come around. In my experience they mainly don't. And then she would have to deal with the issue at the other end

I can't see that in any way that this will enhance her travel experience. Indeed it worsens it. And it's not all about the tickets..

Having said that I, completely, agree with your last sentence. I understand that it can't stay as it is - but this proposal seems very ill thought out. Ramsgate is quite a busy station with a number of tourists and I do think some ticket office capacity should remain. South Eastern as I understand it are proposing a travel centre at Margate to help those who might need assistance - she'd have to get there in the first place

I have, today, submitted my objection.

 

[Lewisham2221]

There's lots of talk here about not being able to find the member of staff at a single manned station, if they are removed from the ticket office.

There's also lots of talk here about the ticket office staff, at single manned stations, doing other tasks around the station.

So, what happens now if I turn up at the station, requiring some form of assistance (whether that be a ticketing/routing enquiry or assistance due to a disability) and the single member of staff is busy cleaning the toilets? Or gritting the platforms? Or cleaning the waiting room on the opposite side of the station? Or chasing off the local miscreants (at 10am, might I add)? Or any number of other tasks that we're being told they already do? What, really, is the difference to what is being proposed?

 

[Krokodil]

There's lots of talk here about not being able to find the member of staff at a single manned station, if they are removed from the ticket office.

There's also lots of talk here about the ticket office staff, at single manned stations, doing other tasks around the station.

So, what happens now if I turn up at the station, requiring some form of assistance (whether that be a ticketing/routing enquiry or assistance due to a disability) and the single member of staff is busy cleaning the toilets? Or gritting the platforms? Or cleaning the waiting room on the opposite side of the station? Or chasing off the local miscreants (at 10am, might I add)? Or any number of other tasks that we're being told they already do? What, really, is the difference to what is being proposed?

Well you've got a better chance of finding them at the moment than you will have once the station gets its two hour fly-by visit by a "journey maker" once a week.