COUNCIL LEADER SLAMS RAILWAY STATION TICKET OFFICE CLOSURES
Station ticket office due for closure
All South Western Railway tickets to shut down
“Serious degradation of service,” says Council Leader
The Leader of Council Gareth Roberts has joined the wave of outrage against the closure of all South Western Railway station ticket offices, which includes Teddington and described the proposal as a ‘serious degradation of service for passengers.’
Councillor Roberts said: “In my capacity as Leader of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames I wish to register not only my personal objection, but the collective objection of the Council as a whole, as well as the residents of Richmond upon Thames, to the proposals outlined in the ticket office closure consultation.
“While understanding the need of rail operating companies to deliver an efficient service, and while being mindful of the financial imperatives driving this programme, it is impossible to view the proposals as anything other than a serious degradation of service for passengers.”
The announcement was made on July 5th and a poster appeared at Teddington Station on the same day stating the proposal “forms part of plans to modernise the railway and bring it more in line with modern consumer expectations.
“It reflects significantly reduced usage of ticket offices over the past decade as customers move to alternative, more convenient ways of buying tickets.”
Councillor Roberts added: ““I am also mindful of the fact that these proposals have been roundly condemned by various organisations, not least our local disability charity RUILS. I echo the concerns which have been raised by these groups.
“I would also question the wisdom of such wholescale reductions of staffing hours given the proposals to remove guards from trains. If there are no guards and no station staff, how will those with accessibility needs have the confidence to travel by train in the future?
“I urge those who will have the ultimate decision-making authority in relation to these proposals to reject them in their entirety. Even the improvements at our Category 2 stations are not sufficient to warrant the sacrifices at our Category 3 stations.
“Until such time as a proposal comes forward which will guarantee staffing hours, which are at least similar to their current levels, or offer an improvement to those hours, across the entirety of stations covering the borough then I, this Council and the majority of residents will be unable to offer our support.”
View South Western Railway’s Station Change Proposal for more information and have your say before Friday 1 September.
