'Don't miss out' call as deadline looms for consultation on plans to axe rail ticket offices

In early July, the Rail Delivery Group announced that operators “across the country are launching passenger consultations to move staff from ticket offices and into stations”. The plans would include closing the travel centres at Alnmouth, Berwick and Morpeth.

Later that month, the consultation deadline was extended to September 1. But now that the date is not too far away, a rail group and a councillor are urging people who have yet to do so to submit their comments.

Dennis Fancett, chairman of the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG), said: “We are urging everyone who feels strongly on this matter to make their own personal response to the consultation.

“SENRUG’s response is comprehensive and can be seen on our website. We have no objection to train companies deploying staff more flexibly, for instance in an open plan desk type layout within station waiting rooms, but totally oppose de-staffing stations or reducing the hours in which stations are staffed.

“Passengers arriving at a station and requiring assistance to purchase tickets should not be expected to hunt up and down on the platform to find staff.

“Additionally, It is a great disappointment to us that Northern, a taxpayer owned company, has understated the current opening hours of their ticket offices at Morpeth and Alnmouth in their consultation document – making it look as if their proposals only involve a small decrease in staffed hours, whereas in reality their proposals involve cutting staffing hours by more than 50% at each station.”

Georgina Hill, Berwick East county councillor and rail campaigner, said: “Residents of the town have been brilliant in opposing this detrimental, cost-cutting measure.

“It is really important that as many people as possible take a stand so I urge those who have not yet done so to respond to the consultation ahead of the deadline.

“The fight to save the Berwick ticket office (and the others) is a fight we have to put up even if we doubt that the railway companies and the Government will listen. This is especially true given the threat of more staffing cuts down the line.”

To submit feedback directly about the proposals, email [email protected] (Berwick) or [email protected] (Alnmouth and Morpeth) or write to Transport Focus at the following freepost address: RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ.

If you need assistance to provide your feedback, you can call 0300 1232350.