Plans to close rail ticket offices ‘another milestone in the race to the bottom’

Michael Jones has written to Mark Harper, secretary of state for transport, calling on him to intervene and ‘take action to preserve our local ticket offices for the foreseeable future’.

The plan to axe ticket offices at 974 stations in England would include those at the town’s three stations – Crawley, Three Bridges and Ifield.

A consultation into the proposals has been extended to Friday (September 1) and has attracted tens of thousands of responses.

In his letter to Mr Harper, Mr Jones said the closure plans were ‘deeply worrying’ to the elderly and disabled as well as rail staff.

He added: “Given the fact that many of those passengers relying on ticket offices will be elderly and disabled rail users that may otherwise struggle to use digital alternatives, it is vital that you offer assurances that those rail users will still have access to the support they need to use our rail network with confidence.”

A survey carried out by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) found that only 3 per cent of blind and partially sighted respondents said they could use a ticket vending machine without problems, while 76 per cent said they would prefer to buy tickets from a person at a ticket office.

A spokesman added: “The Department for Transport claims the changes are part of ‘modernising the railway’, but modernisation doesn’t mean solely relying on apps and touch-screens. Modernisation means inclusivity and not leaving anyone behind.”

Mr Jones asked Mr Harper for more information about the job security of the borough’s rail staff and the impact on safety and accessibility for disabled and elderly passengers.

He said: “Passengers in my constituency are already suffering due to the chaos on our railways. They should not have to face any further disruptions to their travel plans due to your poor management of our rail networks.”

Mr Jones said the railway was in ‘desperate need’ of reform but that people had ‘lost confidence’ in the government’s ability to deliver.

He said to Mr Harper: “With the primary focus on profits for the shareholders, this just appears to be another milestone in the race to the bottom, as far as customer service is concerned. I urge you to stop encouraging this approach and to intervene and take action to preserve our local ticket offices for the foreseeable future.”

When the closure plans were announced, Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, said that only 12 per cent of tickets were sold at ticket offices last year, with the rest bought online or from ticket machines.

She added that, under the plans, if a passenger had not been able to buy a ticket at the station, they would be able to do so once on the train or at their destination. She said: “The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them.”