Posted 6th September 2011 | 3 Comments

TSSA opposes ticket office cuts, but sales are falling

Stonehouse in Gloucestershire is one of more than 600 Category E stations which may lose their remaining staff. Stonehouse has someone on duty for less than four hours a day, according to NRE

Stonehouse in Gloucestershire is one of more than 600 Category E stations which may lose their remaining staff. Stonehouse has someone on duty for less than four hours a day, according to NRE

THE TSSA union has launched a battle to save more than 600 ticket offices at smaller stations, but train operators have responded by pointing out that only one in three rail tickets are now sold by staff at stations, and that costs must be cut.

The union says it will fight a proposal which appears on page 208 of the full 'Value for Money' report by Sir Roy McNulty, which was published in the spring.

Taxpayers are currently supporting the railway with £5 billion of funding each year, a figure which the government wants to reduce, and the report recommends a number of ways in which the railway could save money, including the closing of the ticket offices at the 675 stations in 'Category E'. These usually have only one member of staff on duty, and then often for just a few hours each day.

The ticket office hours at the busier stations placed in Category D, which includes many suburban stations such as Harpenden and Ramsgate in the south east, and University in Birmingham, may be reduced.

The 1,192 stations in the lowest Category F, which includes almost half the stations in Britain, are nearly all unstaffed.

The McNulty report says demand is changing, as more tickets are bought online or from ticket vending machines, and that security is 'not necessarily enhanced' by the presence of a member of staff in the ticket office, but in the light of his recommendations the TSSA is launching a 'Save our station ticket offices' campaign.

The union, which includes many ticket office staff among its membership, pointed out that 265 stations face losing their staff in the south east alone, and that another 114 in the north west would also be affected.

The general secretary of the TSSA, Gerry Doherty, said the transport secretary should reject the idea.

He said: "This is a double whammy for millions of passengers. Last month they were told that fares will rise by 25 per cent over the next three years. And they are now set to lose one in four ticket offices. Not only are unstaffed stations less secure, tickets bought from machines are usually more expensive.

"Philip Hammond should come to the dispatch box in the next few days and give a clear undertaking that he is going to ditch these draconian cuts in services to passengers."

Meanwhile, the Association of Train Operating Companies said although it recognised that passengers 'want to talk to another human being', there was also a need to reduce expenditure.

"The industry needs to cut costs as a way of limiting future fare rises and providing better value for money for the taxpayer. Recent years have seen a fundamental shift in the way that people buy train tickets. There have been big increases in the use of ticket machines, rail websites and smartcards, meaning that around one in three tickets is now bought from station ticket offices,” said a spokesman.

The DfT said no decisions have yet been taken, with the transport secretary Philip Hammond due to announce his detailed reaction to the McNulty recommendations in the autumn.

(See the special feature in the latest print edition of Railnews [out 7 September] – 'Do we still need tickets?')

Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

  • Hugh Collins, Cheltenham, England

    This move should be contingent on the UK rail industry (all TOCs) introducing "print at home" (as in Germany) or better still "show on mobile" (as British Airways) apps for tickets bought on-line. This way the majority of travellers can buy ahead without worrying about the reliability and difficulty of use of ticket machines at stations, leaving on-train staff time to charge those who haven't bought a ticket before travelling.

  • H Harvey, Birmingham

    Payment on the train maybe ok but unless the conductor/guard comes around to check then there will be an enormous revenue loss.
    To board a train without a ticket then genuine passengers will be at the mercy of paying whatever price is asked of them result unhappy passengers who will not return.
    McNulty is a typical overpaid consultant who borrows your watch to tell you the time.
    Perhaps someone should ask him how many times he has used a train in the. past 12 months

  • Joel Kosminsky, London, Britain

    'Passengers want..' but 'the industry needs...' Says it all, doesn't it?