Blackburn Council backs rail ticket offices closure campaign

Earlier this month it was announced Northern plans to close the offices at the Accrington, Burnley[1] Manchester Road and Burnley Central train hubs for good.

This would just leave the ticket office at Blackburn[2] station operating, and one of just two offices across the whole of Lancashire to remain open, alongside Blackpool North.

Labour’s prospective Parliamentary candidates for Hyndburn[3] and Burnley, Graham Jones and Oliver Ryan, immediately launched a bid to save the threatened ticket offices.

Now Blackburn with Darwen[4] Council’s full forum meeting on Thursday has supported the opposition to the closures.

It’s chief executive Denise Park and leader Cllr Phil Riley will now write to the transport secretary Mark Harper and local MPs on the issue.

Proposing the motion the council’s health boss Cllr Damian Talbot said: “In our borough we’re fortunate enough to have six railway stations -probably a high number for a borough of our size: Blackburn, Darwen, Entwistle, Mill Hill, Cherry Tree and Pleasington with a seventh Ramsgreave and Wilpshire just outside but mainly serving our residents.

“And it’s true to say that only Blackburn has a staffed ticket office.

“But all of the other stations did have fully-staffed offices previously providing employment and a whole community.

“Having a staffed office in Blackburn means that there is a station within reasonable distance for those who aren’t willing or able to buy online or at ticket machines.

“And whilst this time round we have been curiously fortunate that Blackburn is not on the list of planned closures we know full well that if these proposals go through its days are numbered -as are all the remaining ticketed stations.

“After all if a mainline station like Preston, with over four million passenger movements a year, is to lose its ticket office what hope is there here?

“And what’s even worse in this case is it’s pretty widely accepted that the business[5] case just doesn’t stack up – a fifth of passengers are likely to be unable to manager without ticket offices.

“All in simple terms to save a few pennies in getting rid of staff.”

Northern’s chief operating officer Tricia Williams has said: “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.”

The Conservative group abstained in the vote.

References

  1. ^ Burnley (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)
  2. ^ Blackburn (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)
  3. ^ Hyndburn (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)
  4. ^ Darwen (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)
  5. ^ business (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)