Railway ticket offices set for closure

Buying a train ticket at Hertford's railway stations could become a thing of the past if plans by the Rail Delivery Group come to fruition.

The proposals would see all ticket sales go online, raising concerns for those who do not have access to the internet or struggle with information technology. 

Closing the country's 980 ticket offices could save £500m if the proposals go ahead, possibly as early as September.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: "The reality is that ticket offices have seen a significant decline in use since the 90s". One in eight train tickets is sold over the counter.

Ticket office closures is just one of issues driving the current wave of industrial action by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).

The industrial action is supported by local Labour councillors, with Cllr. Carolyn Redfern, Leader of the Labour Group on East Herts District Council, saying: "The Government described our rail workers as heroes during the pandemic - now they want to make thousands of job cuts, close ticket offices and allow employers to undermine workers' pay and conditions.

"Contrary to the assertion that this dispute is over train drivers' pay, it actually largely involves station and on-train staff, earning only £25-31,000 a year, while some rail network bosses have taken home pay packets of £1 million+ and rail companies have made profits of £500 million+ since the start of the pandemic. No one wants these strikes, but the
proposed cuts would only allow rail companies to rake in more profit with no regard to staff or passengers and they should be challenged."

Josh Dean, Constituency Labour Party Comms Officer and the Vice Chair of GMB London Young Workers criticised local MP Julie Marson for her lack of action and disinterest in local services, "In spite of Ms Marson's claims to be on the side of passengers in Parliament last week, she appears to have taken no action whatsoever to encourage the Government to negotiate a better deal for rail workers, protect our local services and avoid strike action. If Ms Marson cared about passengers, then she would be fighting against job cuts in our communities, particularly those in ticket
offices that would make our stations less accessible and less safe."

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said: "The pandemic has been an  unprecedented financial shock to the railway. While no decisions have been taken over ticket offices, with the acceleration of changing travel patterns and more passengers migrating to digital technology, many jobs will need to change to become more passenger-centric.

"Train companies want to work with unions on how to address those changes, while making sure the industry takes no more than its fair share from the taxpayer."