All East Lancs rail ticket offices but Blackburn set to shut
Controversial plans to shut train station ticket offices have been announced this morning, and if they go ahead will see the ticket offices at Accrington, Burnley[1] Manchester Road and Burnley Central, closed for good.
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) unveiled plans for a mass closure of railway station ticket offices in England.
The proposals could lead to nearly all offices being shut, with facilities only remaining open at the busiest stations, after it revealed figures that only 12 per cent of rail tickets are purchased from ticket offices.
Rail operator Northern has revealed in East Lancashire only Blackburn will remain open, while in the rest of Lancashire just Blackpool North will survive the cull, and will face amended opening hours.
Burnley Manchester Road station (Image: Google)
Train passengers will have their chance to give their opinion on the proposals before a final decision is taken through a public consultation.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “Across all business[2] sectors the way people consume, access and purchase products and services has changed.
“Rail is no different – only one in six journeys on Northern services are purchased through a ticket office, this compares to almost half of all journeys in 2018.
“We need to modernise to meet the changing needs of our customers and we are seeking views from the public on these proposals.”
She added: “Along with the rest of the rail industry, Northern is sharing proposals on how we plan to change how we support customers at our stations.
“These proposals include the creation of a new, more visible customer facing role that will offer a wider range of support across our stations.
“This new role will mean that the traditional ticket office is no longer required at most staffed Northern stations, except for 18 at hub locations, that will have amended ticket office opening hours.”
Rail Delivery Group chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: “The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them.
“With just 12 per cent of tickets being sold from ticket offices last year, and 99 per cent of those transactions being available on TVMs (ticket vending machines) or online, our proposals would mean more staff on hand to give face-to-face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.
“We will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training[3] to move into new more engaging roles.”
She added: “We also understand that our customers have differing needs, which is why the industry widely sought the views of accessibility and passenger groups when creating these proposals, and will continue to through the consultation.
“We encourage those who wish to take part to go to their local train company website or visit Transport Focus or London TravelWatch.”
The announcement has met opposition, however.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The decision to close up to 1,000 ticket offices and to issue hundreds of redundancy notices to staff is a savage attack on railway workers, their families and the travelling public.
“Travellers will be forced to rely on apps and remote mobile teams to be available to assist them rather than having trained staff on stations.
“This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network.
“The arrangements for ticket office opening hours, set out in Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, are the only statutory regulation of station staffing.
“It is crystal clear that the government and train companies want to tear up this agreement and pave the way for a massive de-staffing of the rail network.”
A spokesperson for Transport for the North said: “We understand that the way people buy tickets is changing and that there needs to be reform.
“However, this should be done in a holistic way, considering the needs of all station users and local communities.
“We are concerned the focus on ticket office staffing in isolation of wider investment (for example pay as you go ticketing) could lead to disadvantaging certain passengers and communities.
“We will be working with our partners on a robust response to the consultation using local evidence and knowledge.
“Patronage growth on the railways in the North is strong, albeit people are choosing to travel at different times for different purposes.
“Done correctly, we can ensure that reform supports growth and the needs of all passengers. But it must not be to the disadvantage of any station users, especially in regards to accessibility and safety.”
The 18 locations where Northern will keep ticket offices open are as follows:
- Barrow-in-Furness
- Blackburn
- Blackpool North
- Bolton
- Bradford Interchange
- Glossop
- Harrogate
- Hartlepool
- Leeds
- Liverpool Lime Street
- Manchester Oxford Road
- Manchester Victoria
- Rochdale
- Salford Crescent
- Skipton
- St Helen’s Central
- Warrington Central
- Wigan Wallgate
To have their say on the consultaiton, people can visit northernrailway.co.uk/consultation-2023[4]