Southeastern ticket office closure plans scrapped

The train operator serving London and Kent proposed to close 36 ticket offices at stations in south east London, along with two in south London and two others in Kent.

Southeastern announced plans to close these stations which would be subject to consultation from July 5 until September 1.

According to Southeastern, these plans were put forward in response to a change in the way customers purchase tickets, with more customers using smartphones, websites and contactless payment methods.

Southeastern proposed new plans for ticket office staff to be trained to provide further face-to-face support for customers.

But the Government has announced a U-turn over plans to close the vast majority of railway station ticket offices in England, which were put forward by train operators including Southeastern.

Following consultation, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch were required to review each proposal to close a ticket office, based on criteria relating to customer service, accessibility and cost-effectiveness, before deciding whether or not to object.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said train operators have been asked to withdraw the proposals as they “do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers”.

Mark Harper said: “The consultation on ticket offices has now ended, with the Government making clear to the rail industry throughout the process that any resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers.

“We have engaged with accessibility groups throughout this process and listened carefully to passengers as well as my colleagues in Parliament.

“The proposals that have resulted from this process do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers, and so the Government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals.”

This was in response to watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch announcing they opposed every single planned closure, due to issues which included the potential impact on accessibility at stations.

Katie Pennick, campaigns manager at accessibility charity Transport for All, said: “While we are proud of the incredible tenacity of disabled people and our community for securing this major campaign victory, the outcome is bittersweet.

“The disastrous and discriminatory proposals should never have been put forward.”

The plans were brought forward by train operators including Southeastern in July, with support from the Government, in a bid to cut costs in the sector.

In September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested closing ticket offices was “the right thing for the British public and British taxpayers” as “only one in 10 tickets are sold currently in ticket offices”.

No figure has been published showing how much money would have been saved with the proposals.

Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Lynch said the announcement was a “resounding victory” for the campaign against the closures.

He called for “an urgent summit with the Government” to agree “a different route for the rail network that guarantees the future of our ticket offices and station staff jobs”.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, said there were “serious overall concerns” over issues including how so-called welcome points would work, how operators would sell a “full range” of tickets, and how excessive queues at ticket machines would be avoided.

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group said: “Train companies committed to a genuine consultation, and worked closely with passenger bodies to build and improve on the original plans.

"We thank everybody who participated and for helping to make our proposals better and welcome the recognition by Transport Focus that the principle of moving staff to where they can better help passengers, is the right one.

"We listened, and we pledged that the vast majority of cases, stations with staff today would continue to be staffed tomorrow and with similar operating hours.

“We pledged to upgrade ticket vending machines and that all stations will have a single welcome point, developed in partnership with accessibility groups and passenger bodies.

"We pledged any changes would be introduced gradually, with regular feedback and review in a process fully involving London Travel Watch and Transport Focus.

"These proposals were about adapting the railway to the changing needs of customers in the smartphone era, balanced against the significant financial challenge faced by the industry as it recovers from the pandemic.

“At a time when the use of ticket offices is irreversibly declining, we also want to give our people more enriching and rewarding careers geared towards giving passengers more visible face-to-face support.

“While these plans won’t now be taken forward, we will continue to look at other ways to improve passenger experience while delivering value for the taxpayer.

"Our priority remains to secure a vibrant long-term future for the industry and all those who work in it.”