Sussex railway ticket offices could close: Everything you need to know

Transport watchdogs London TravelWatch and Transport Focus have today (July 5) launched public consultations on behalf of rail operators across the country, including Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), ‘to consider how tickets are sold and to improve customer service in the future’.

GTR operates Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern services.

The public consultation, which closes on July 26, has been launched to seek the views of the public about the proposals, which are said to have been launched to ‘improve customer service and reflect how customers now buy tickets’.

A GTR spokesperson said: “The proposal is to move ticket office colleagues out from behind traditional ticket office windows, which would close, onto station concourses

“The aim is to improve customer service and better reflect how most passengers now buy tickets – 9 in 10 purchases are outside of traditional ticket offices.

“No station that is staffed today would become unstaffed; in-person help would still be available and accessibility support will continue.”

It is proposed that 18 of GTR’s ‘largest and busiest’ stations will have the ability to open their ticket offices to retail specialist tickets. These are proposed to be; Bedford; Brighton; Chichester; Eastbourne; East Croydon; Finsbury Park; Haywards Heath; Horsham; Huntingdon; King’s Lynn; London Blackfriars; London Victoria; Luton Airport Parkway; St Albans City; Stevenage; Sutton; Welwyn Garden City and Worthing.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has condemned train operators and the government for the plans.

An RMT spokesperson said: “On the back of their announcement, they are issuing statutory redundancy notices for hundreds of railway workers, something RMT will fiercely oppose.”

General Secretary Mick Lynch added: "The decision to close up to 1,000 ticket offices and to issue hundreds of redundancy notices to staff is a savage attack on railway workers, their families and the travelling public.

"Travellers will be forced to rely on apps and remote mobile teams to be available to assist them rather than having trained staff on stations.

"This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network.”

However, GTR said the proposal ‘aims to better support passengers’ by ‘moving colleagues out from behind traditional ticket office windows’, which would close, onto station concourses ‘where customers need them most, making them more visible and accessible’.

“The aspiration is that colleagues would move to roles that cover a broader range of customer needs in the future – from travel and fares advice to accessibility assistance – following engagement with both colleagues and unions,” a spokesperson for GTR said.

"These potential plans support wider moves to modernise the railway and put customer service at its heart, and would offer a more varied and interesting role for colleagues.

“No stations that have staff today would become unstaffed, and station opening hours would remain the same. However, the hours when ticketing assistance would be available might change.”

If these proposals go ahead, GTR said it would continue to provide assistance in line with its Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) commitments; ‘for example, turn-up-and-go support such as ramp access for disabled customers’.

In-person assistance would still be available to support customers purchasing from ticket machines and to support the safety and security of stations, for example by being a presence to deter anti-social behaviour.

Mr Lynch said the RMT union is unconvinced, adding: “The arrangements for ticket office opening hours, set out in Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, are the only statutory regulation of station staffing.

“It is crystal clear that the government and train companies want to tear up this agreement and pave the way for a massive de-staffing of the rail network.

"Some of the train operators issuing our members with statutory redundancy notices today are cutting two thirds of their workforce.

"It is clear that the whole enterprise of closing ticket offices has got nothing to do with modernisation and is a thinly veiled plan to gut our railways of station staff.

"RMT is mounting a strong industrial, and political campaign to resist ticket office closures and station staff cuts. And we will continue our fight on July 20, 22 and 29 when 20,000 railway workers on the train operators go on strike."

In response, Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for GTR said: “The proposed changes reflect that the way customers buy tickets has changed significantly in recent years, with most people now buying online or from ticket machines. In fact, 9 in 10 are now bought away from the traditional ticket office and GTR has even fitted eticket readers across its network as so many customers now use digital tickets to travel.

“This is a real opportunity to modernise and improve the experience of our customers. Our colleagues would continue to have a really valuable role in helping passengers – these proposals aim to enhance the excellent work they do. It’s important to stress that no station that is staffed today would become unstaffed and we would continue to provide accessibility support and assistance.

“No final decisions have been made, so we really want to hear the views, questions and ideas that customers may have, and we’d encourage everyone to feed back directly to London TravelWatch and Transport Focus by 26 July.”

To feedback, customers should directly email or write to the relevant watchdog for their station. The details of this can be found on GTR’s websites alongside the current and proposed ticketing assistance hours for their station. Unfortunately, responses directly to GTR cannot be considered.

Printed copies of the consultation information that is available on GTR’s websites can be requested at staffed stations and alternative formats are available by calling 0345 026 4700 or textphone 0800 138 1018.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “It’s important for people to have their say. We urge passengers to look at the proposals and tell us what the ticket office changes might mean for them. Transport Focus will make sure passengers’ views are heard.”

More information about the consultation process can also be found by visiting the Transport Focus website and London TravelWatch website.