Some 483 signatures were collected and more than 1000 leaflets handed out during a protest at Ramsgate railway station today (July 18) against the planned closure of ticket offices.
Staff and groups representing the elderly and passengers requiring assisted travel, along with members of the Green Party and local activists, were in attendance to gain signatures so that a public consultation can be invoked.
A spokesperson for demonstration organisers East Kent RMT ( National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) said: “The general feeling from passengers travelling was that this a brutal and unnecessary action which has probably come along a generation to soon.
“Many people still require help with finding the cheapest tickets and help with times and journey planning. The thought of not being able to get what is required is causing a lot of people anguish and making them very angry.
“A huge thanks to all those who attended and hopefully every single signature will have some effect on implementing a u turn by the government.”
Among the demonstrators was Christine Tongue of disability campaign group Access Thanet.
She said: “Closing ticket offices is bad news for all passengers but it is going to be a cause of real hardship for people with disabilities.”
Christine said online systems are not a viable alternative for most disabled people.
She said: “To travel on trains disabled people need to book assistance and this is much easier to do face to face than online, but for people with visual problems, it’s essential.
“Electronic ticket machines are almost impossible to use for anyone in a wheelchair or a mobility scooter. The screens are hard to see unless you’re standing and it’s impossible to book complicated through tickets without proper advice. This is true even for able people, but for disabled people it can be disastrous.”
Ticket office proposals
There are 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 staff.
At Southeastern’s smaller stations, where the only staff member currently on the station is the person in the ticket office, if agreed, 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 redeployed.
Rail Delivery Group Public consultation.
