What will happen to Ticket Office staff that carry out multiple roles ?

[Halifaxlad]

Since Ticket Offices are supposed to be closing at some point it has occurred to me that we have staff at some stations such as Keighley that also perform train dispatch duties at infrequent times of the day, at Keighley I believe this is early morning and late evening when LNER Azuma heads to Skipton.

Does anybody know what will happen to these positions if Ticket offices do close ?

 

[zwk500]

They would presumably become just normal dispatch and Customer Service duties, with staff out and about visible on the platform rather than in a booking office.

I'd be more worried about stations where booking office staff don't have other duties, as they will most likely be made redundant or redeployed to the nearest 'big' station.

 

[Halifaxlad]

They would presumably become just normal dispatch and Customer Service duties, with staff out and about visible on the platform rather than in a booking office.

I'd be more worried about stations where booking office staff don't have other duties, as they will most likely be made redundant or redeployed to the nearest 'big' station.

I can't see staff at Keighley being out and about visible on the platform all day for the sake of one or two trains.

 

[JonathanH]

I can't see staff at Keighley being out and about visible on the platform all day for the sake of one or two trains.

It would seem likely that Azumas will eventually become driver self-dispatch once they are run DOO, so the need for platform dispatch at places like Keighley will go away despite the curved platform. If 700s can be self-dispatched by the driver at places like London Bridge and East Croydon, a driver using in cab monitors to dispatch an Azuma at Keighley will be no problem.

Of course, we aren't there yet, but it will be part of the same DfT planning that is seeing ticket office staff moved out of their ticket offices.

The station staff will provide customer assistance as necessary.

(Note that I don't think anyone thinks that LNER trains wouldn't go to a situation where the driver is the only member of staff aboard, but complete driver control of door operation might not be far behind the current disputes on suitable rolling stock and seems to be part of the Grant Shapes rhetoric.)

 

[ComUtoR]

It would seem likely that Azumas will eventually become driver self-dispatch once they are run DOO, so the need for platform dispatch at places like Keighley will go away despite the curved platform. If 700s can be self-dispatched by the driver at places like London Bridge and East Croydon, a driver using in cab monitors to dispatch an Azuma at Keighley will be no problem.

What is the lighting like at Keighley ?

 

[DelayRepay]

What is the lighting like at Keighley ?

It doesn't really matter. If installing new lights is necessary to avoid the cost of a member of staff to dispatch a single train, new lights will be installed.

(Note that I don't think anyone thinks that LNER trains wouldn't go to a situation where the driver is the only member of staff aboard, but complete driver control of door operation might not be far behind the current disputes on suitable rolling stock and seems to be part of the Grant Shapes rhetoric.)

Are you saying you don't expect trains to run with only a driver, but the other on board staff would be non-safety critical, i.e. a ticket inspector/customer service/catering role as opposed to a guard? So in theory if there was a staff shortage, a train could operate with just a driver or just a driver and catering person?

 

[ComUtoR]

It doesn't really matter. If installing new lights is necessary to avoid the cost of a member of staff to dispatch a single train, new lights will be installed.

It isn't that easy. You can't just change or add new station lighting on a whim. We have stations where stations lights are used after a certain time because local residents complained. We have stations where lighting cannot be provided because the infrastructure on the platform doesn't allow it.

It isn't as easy as you would think.