John Redwood MP has received the letter below from Transport Focus regarding the extension of the deadline to register their comments about the proposed railway ticket office closures.
The deadline is now 1 September and he would encourage those who share his concerns about these proposed closures to make their views known as directed in the letter.
John has made representations against the closures as they will disadvantage those who are unable to use online ticket booking or who may have trouble with ticket machines. Passengers who may need physical assistance in accessing the train platforms will also be disadvantaged by these proposals.
The Telegraph newspaper featured John's concern that a lot of passengers who use the railways for leisure are retired. “They tend to like to buy a ticket in person rather than doing everything online, so I would be a bit nervous about being willing to close all those offices down and alienate what I think is an important chunk of their market now,” Sir John said.
Dear Colleague
The deadline for people to have their say about the rail companies’ proposals the future of railway ticket offices has been extended until 1 September. Information about how to send comments is here.
What is our role?
Transport Focus (and London TravelWatch in and around the London) have a formal role in scrutinising the proposals and any mitigation in detail. Under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, train companies are required to consult us and provide passengers with an opportunity to have their say. We therefore receive and review the comments we receive. So far our two organisations have received more than 350,000 responses.
How can we help your constituents?
You can encourage your constituents to send their comments to us (or London TravelWatch). They may want to share what the changes will mean for them such as how the changes might affect their ability to buy a ticket at the station.
What will we do with the proposals and comments received?
We and London TravelWatch will scrutinise train company proposals and any mitigations in detail before responding to train operators. We will be considering factors such as whether the station will continue to be staffed, accessibility, the alternative options for buying tickets and whether passengers will continue to be able to access station facilities like lifts, waiting rooms and toilets.
We can formally object to the proposals but only on specific grounds. Even if we object, the proposals can still go ahead. The train company can refer its proposal to the Secretary of State for a final decision. Here is the Department for Transport’s guidance setting out the approach the Secretary of State will take if this happens.
Our response
Our response to each train company’s proposal, an overview of the number of responses received and the main issues raised will be published on our website.
