A protest organised by East Kent RMT ( National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) will be held t Ramsgate railway station tomorrow (July 18).
The action is in response to plans to close ticket offices in all but the busiest stations
Train operators, including Southeastern, have launched public and employee consultations.
The Railway Delivery Group says the proposals are designed to move staff out of ticket offices and onto station platforms and concourses to support better, face-to-face interactions, with the potential to close ticket offices in a number of locations.
If accepted, the proposed changes would be phased in gradually. Ticket office facilities will remain open at the busiest stations and interchanges.
For Southeastern there are 180 stations and 142 ticket offices. At the conclusion of Southeastern’s consultation, the following is proposed:
At 14 of the busiest stations, Travel Centres will be provided, offering a combination of travel information and ticketing solutions.
At Southeastern’s medium and larger sized stations, where it is agreed ticket offices are no longer required, they will be closed. Overall, these stations will have fewer colleagues
At Southeastern’s smaller stations, where the only colleague currently on the station is the person in the ticket office, if agreed that the ticket office will be closed.
18 smaller stations, where vacancies have resulted in the station being temporarily unstaffed, will be restaffed as staff are deployed where they are most needed.
The East Kent RMT protest will take place at Ramsgate station’s ticket office tomorrow (July 18) between 6am-2pm. They encourage people to join them and to bring banners.
A member of the group said: “Please come and support us as we try to overturn the Government’s decision to make Ramsgate a hub and to remove staff from behind the counters.
“This will have a detrimental effect on elderly and disabled passengers and their ability to travel with confidence.
“Please come and sign our petition which nationwide we need 250.000 signatures.”
Rail Delivery Group Public consultation.
RMT Save your ticket office page
