busroute
New Member
Do any independently run ticket offices (ie not run by the train operating company) at railway stations still exist nowadays?
If you go back about fifteen or twenty years in to the 2000s and 2010s there was dozens of them. It seems that most have closed down and i think a couple were taken over by train operating companies. But i suspect a small amount may still exist.
Knighton, Llandrindod, Ludlow, Ledbury, Chester Le Street, Eaglescliffe, Bishop Auckland, Newtown, Gobowen, Pembrey And Burry Port, Barmouth, Chepstow, Severn Tunnel Junction, Milford Haven, Aber, Bargoed, Millom, Whitby, Saint Ives, Looe, Newquay, Saxmundham, all have or had independent ticket offices. I am not sure on their current status of most of these and it is very difficult to find out online.
There were probably other stations too that i have missed off the list. I would be interested to hear of other stations that used to have independent ticket offices.
It is very difficult to find up to date information on whether any of these still exist. I believe most of them have shut but i do not have hard evidence for most. Covid probably got rid of a lot of them. Maybe even all have dissappeared.
Does anyone have any up to date information on which stations (if any) still have independent ticket offices open?
Also out of curiosity how did these places set up these independent ticket offices? What is the whole process? Do the train operating companies allow anyone to apply to rent out a station building and apply to sell train tickets and if the application is successful then is there a fee? I presume then they get given the neccessary ticket machines and ticket printers and ticket stock?
I would also presume the independent ticket offices take a commission for each ticket they sell but does anyone know what percentage. It would have to be a very high percentage of commission (or for a low percentage of commission the ticket office would need to be very busy and sell a huge amount of tickets) in order to be profitable. Maybe that is why so many of these have shut down as it is not profitable enough.
Lastly i also recall that there used to be some locations away from railway stations that sold train tickets? These were mostly tourist information centres run by councils. I recall a few bus information offices did too. I think also a few travel agent offices. Do any of these places still exist nowadays and if so where?
Thanks in advance for any information that anyone can provide! I always found these to be an interesting quirk of our railways!
If you go back about fifteen or twenty years in to the 2000s and 2010s there was dozens of them. It seems that most have closed down and i think a couple were taken over by train operating companies. But i suspect a small amount may still exist.
Knighton, Llandrindod, Ludlow, Ledbury, Chester Le Street, Eaglescliffe, Bishop Auckland, Newtown, Gobowen, Pembrey And Burry Port, Barmouth, Chepstow, Severn Tunnel Junction, Milford Haven, Aber, Bargoed, Millom, Whitby, Saint Ives, Looe, Newquay, Saxmundham, all have or had independent ticket offices. I am not sure on their current status of most of these and it is very difficult to find out online.
There were probably other stations too that i have missed off the list. I would be interested to hear of other stations that used to have independent ticket offices.
It is very difficult to find up to date information on whether any of these still exist. I believe most of them have shut but i do not have hard evidence for most. Covid probably got rid of a lot of them. Maybe even all have dissappeared.
Does anyone have any up to date information on which stations (if any) still have independent ticket offices open?
Also out of curiosity how did these places set up these independent ticket offices? What is the whole process? Do the train operating companies allow anyone to apply to rent out a station building and apply to sell train tickets and if the application is successful then is there a fee? I presume then they get given the neccessary ticket machines and ticket printers and ticket stock?
I would also presume the independent ticket offices take a commission for each ticket they sell but does anyone know what percentage. It would have to be a very high percentage of commission (or for a low percentage of commission the ticket office would need to be very busy and sell a huge amount of tickets) in order to be profitable. Maybe that is why so many of these have shut down as it is not profitable enough.
Lastly i also recall that there used to be some locations away from railway stations that sold train tickets? These were mostly tourist information centres run by councils. I recall a few bus information offices did too. I think also a few travel agent offices. Do any of these places still exist nowadays and if so where?
Thanks in advance for any information that anyone can provide! I always found these to be an interesting quirk of our railways!
