Don't Kill Cash: Plans to shut all rail ticket offices set for DELAY in huge boost for GB News campaign
A closed ticket office in Kent
PA
Plans to shut almost all rail ticket offices in England have been thrown into chaos as a public consultation on the proposal looks set to last until September.
The 21-day consultation was due to end just before midnight today but crisis talks between the Department for Transport and train operators will likely lead to a delay.
Ministers and train companies fear legal challenges could arise from the move as the initial consultation period was arguably too short and the proposal potentially discriminates against disabled people.
Any delay would come as a massive boost to GB News' Don’t Kill Cash campaign as cash-dependent Britons would otherwise be left at the mercy of in-station ticket machines or mobile apps.
Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Lynch speaking at a rally as Alex Gordon RMT President (left) listens outside King's Cross train station, in London
PA
The consultation period was supposed to enable the public to give their views on the measures to close 974 train station ticket offices across England over the next three years.
Based on the response, passenger watchdogs Transport Focus and London Travelwatch will decide whether to accept the train company’s proposals or to reject them and pass the matter on to Transport Secretary Mark Harper.
More than 170,000 responses have been received by passenger groups Transport Focus and London Travelwatch.
The closures have been opposed by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) as part of their ‘Save Our Ticket Offices’ campaign, with fears for thousands of job losses and the impact it will have on vulnerable and disabled passengers.
The RMT have been encouraging people to sign their online campaign opposing the plans and to submit their views on the watchdog’s online consultation.
Gaz Jackson, RMT Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Regional Organiser spoke to GB News at the union’s picket line at Hull Paragon Interchange.
He said: “We’ve had over 100,000 signatures across the country with people supporting us on the online campaign.
“We’ve also got a post carding campaign, we’ve got a national campaign to try and get people writing to their MPs, and what we’re seeing is a mass return of people saying to us that ‘we don’t want this to happen’.
“It’s not just about selling tickets, they know it’s about assisting people that need the help, the vulnerable people, the disabled people.
“We want this railway to be accessible and affordable for everybody, and without a fully staffed station, it’s not going to be.”
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A member of staff assists a person at the ticket machines in Waterloo Station train station in London
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Further support has been given to the RMT ‘Save Our Ticket Offices’ campaign by the Trades Council.
Mike Whale, a member of the Hull and District Trades Council, has been out passing flyers on to passengers at Hull Paragon Station.
He said: “The closure of the ticket offices is not just an attack on a union, it’s an attack on the public as a whole.
“The number of people that are going to struggle because of the closure of ticket offices, I think will be immense.
The plans were announced on July 5 by the Rail Delivery Group, who believe the facilities are no longer necessary as only 12 per cent of train tickets are bought from ticket offices, compared to 82 per cent in the mid 1990s.
Without staffed ticket offices, passengers will need to book tickets online or use Ticket Vending Machines at stations, and rather than being in the ticket office, staff will roam the station, helping where they can.
A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group said: “The railway needs to adapt to the way our customers are using the rail services now and the reality is that the number of tickets being sold in ticket offices has halved since pre-Covid, with most customers opting to purchase their ticket online or at Ticket Vending Machines.
“We want to bring staff from behind a window inside a ticket office into other parts of the station where they would be readily available to give face to face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning, to providing advice about the best and cheapest fares and supporting those customers with accessibility needs.
“The industry will continue to work with accessibility and passenger groups to ensure that no one is left behind.
“Our staff play an integral part in ensuring that everyone travelling on the railway has a positive experience and have help available if needed. We are committed to treating them fairly and supporting them with extra training to move into new more varied and engaging roles.”
The Government added changes need to be made to ensure the rail service can "survive".
A ticket was sold from Hull Paragon Interchange ticket office last year every 1.6 minutes on average.
Passengers at the station told GB News what they think of plans to close it.
One woman said: “It’s disgusting, it’s taking people’s jobs and there’s people like myself that cannot use technology.
“I wanted to ask a person to do my railcard and sort my tickets for September and there’s no-one there to do it and I can’t use the machine because I can’t do it on card.
Another man opposed the plans and said: “My wife has to use a wheelchair, she has Huntington’s Disease and without ticket offices, we can’t travel on trains.
“She can’t even see the screens. I think they should stay open.”
This was supported by another passenger using a Ticket Vending Machine who said: “I’ve had to put my glasses on to do it and I think we need to be thinking about inclusivity.”
Others said that they don’t use the ticket office and prefer to buy tickets online.
“It wouldn’t really bother me as you can do it online anyway, it’s not that difficult”, said one woman.
An image from the RMT picket line
GB News
Another added: “I don’t really use the ticket offices, I normally [buy tickets] on my phone, but I suppose in the sense of people losing their jobs, that would be a problem.”
Five Labour mayors for Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have also said they are preparing a legal challenge over the plans and say the consultation is “totally inadequate”.
RMT general-secretary Mick Lynch previously raised concerns about the mass closure of ticket offices for cash-dependent commuters.
Speaking to GB News, Lynch said: "It becomes more and more difficult for those on low budgets, for instance, who use cash as a means of controlling their weekly and monthly spend.
"Because if you take a fixed amount of money and budget to that it means you're in control, to some extent, of your life.
"And if you're just doing it on the card or some kind of tap method you can quickly run out of control of your life."
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