MORE than 680,000 responses to a consultation on a proposed plan to change ticket office operations – including closing up to 974 such facilities throughout the rail network – have been received by Transport Focus (TF) and London TravelWatch (LTW).
The consultation on the proposal, which affects 13 operators, was announced on July 5 and affects operators controlled by the Department for Transport (DfT). Initially a three-week consultation due to close on July 26, this was later extended to September 1. The affected operators are Avanti West Coast, c2c, Chiltern Railways, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Govia Thameslink Railway, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Railway.
TF said in a statement that in the consultation responses from the public and stakeholders, concerns were raised around accessibility, safety and security, issues with ticket machines, and how stations will be staffed in the future. It said that in the coming weeks, the watchdogs will analyse the proposal and public consultation responses before responding to operators by October 31.
RESPONSES TO BE PUBLISHED
TF and LTW will publish the response to each operator’s proposal online, with an overview of the
