City mayor joins battle to stop railway ticket office closures

Two major players in Leicestershire politics have criticised a government plan to potentially close hundreds of railway ticket offices across the country ^[1]. Both the Leicester city mayor and Leicestershire County Council ^[2] have spoken out against the plan and have written letters calling for a re-think.

A plan was unveiled earlier this month by the government to bring forward a proposal from the Rail Delivery Group, a body which represents private railway operators, to close up to 1,000 offices nationally. Five Leicestershire stations feature on the list, which includes Hinckley ^[3], Loughborough ^[4], Market Harborough ^[5], Melton ^[6] and Narborough ^[7].

Local rail provider East Midlands Railways (EMR)^[8] then launched a public consultation into the plan, which will conclude this Wednesday (July 26), allowing people to submit feedback on the potential closures. The plan has received significant opposition in Leicestershire and many local representatives have echoed these words.

The city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby ^[9] also sits as chair of transport for the East Midlands and has co-written a letter to the government raising concerns about the proposal to close 33 out of the 38 station ticket offices in the region. Speaking to LeicestershireLive ^[10], Sir Peter said: “Whilst this may not directly affect people in Leicester, who will still have the ticket office, it will affect a vast number of people, particularly vulnerable people who are trying to get into the city.

“I’m glad people travelling from Leicester won’t be as affected but obviously that is only 50 per cent of the people who use the station, as the ones coming to the city won’t get the right support and be looked after properly. What is particularly telling is when people use self-service ticket machines, at least 10 per cent of people don’t get the best ticket available. It is worrying that in some places people who already find travelling a problem may struggle further with getting to lifts and getting on and off trains.”

According to EMR, on average less than five per cent of all tickets sold for its trains are bought at ticket offices. It said most passengers chose to use self-service machines or bought tickets online. This figure was more than 80 per cent in the mid 1990s, according to the train company ^[12] this week.

Leicestershire County Council ^[13] has also weighed in on the issue and pushed back on the proposal. Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, cabinet member for highways and transport has written a letter to Transport Focus, an independent watchog, and has labelled the potential closures in Melton Mowbray, Hinckley and Narborough as “short-sighted”.

He said in the letter: “Melton is a growing town with an increasing population, so train travel must be accessible, reasonable and simple as possible. With Hinckley and Narborough, we’re supporting the case set out by Midlands Connect for significant improvements to the current, poor service offer between Leicester and Birmingham and we want the reinstatement of direct services between Coventry and Leicester.

“We should be enhancing facilities in anticipation of greater passenger numbers, not reducing them.” The staff who currently work at the affected ticket offices would move into “customer help roles” on station platforms and concourses, according to EMR. The company said the move would offer ^[14] “more face-to-face support” across the network.

Jac Starr, CEO of the Rail Delivery Group,^[15] said earlier this month: “The ways our customers buy tickets have changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them. Our proposals would mean more staff on hand on to give face-to-face help with a much wider range of needs, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.

“Our commitment is that we will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued, fairly, with support and extra training to move in to new, rewarding and varied roles and we will never compromise on safety. We also understand that our customers have differing needs which is why train companies will be consulting widely with accessibility and passenger groups to take on board their views.”

References

^{^} close hundreds of railway ticket offices across the country (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Leicestershire County Council (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Hinckley (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Loughborough (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Market Harborough (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Melton (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Narborough (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} East Midlands Railways (EMR) (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Sir Peter Soulsby (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} LeicestershireLive (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Vandalism and neglect at cemeteries causing anguish for visitors, MP says (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} to the train company (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Leicestershire County Council (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} The company said the move would offer (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Jac Starr, CEO of the Rail Delivery Group, (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)