Over the last week, a number of people have expressed their concerns over the proposed closure of ticket offices in Crawley and across England. I share those concerns and have written to the Secretary of State to ask that he intervene to avoid yet another reduction in passenger facilities.
The Rt Hon Mark Harper
Secretary of State for Transport
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR8th July 2023
Dear Mr Harper,
Re: Rail Ticket Office Closures
I note with concern the recent announcement of the Rail Delivery Group that train companies are planning to close ticket offices at all English stations after a consultation period lasting a mere 21 days. I am writing to ask that as Secretary of State for Transport you intervene to prevent these closures from taking place.
Ticket offices continue to play an important role for thousands of residents within the Crawley constituency, with tickets sold at ticket offices accounting for 150m of the 1.4bn journeys taken last year.
While change is an essential part of any modernisation programme, the technology currently employed at local stations is insufficient for meeting the needs of all passengers, not least those with disabilities. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has found that only 3% of those with sight loss can access a ticket through a machine, a clear breach of these companies’ duties under the Equality Act (2010).
No doubt, Southern will claim that they will put alternative provision in place to ensure that blind users are not disadvantaged. They promised wheelchair users much the same when they removed conductors from local services, only to find that when implemented such provision is often unavailable, leaving mobility impaired passengers unable to start their journey or left tens of miles from their intended destination.
This has gone on long enough. The simple fact is that over the last 13 years of your government, residents in Crawley have seen their ticket prices increase by an astounding 58%–vastly outpacing inflation, while service quality has declined and provision for passengers downgraded.
The rail industry is now proposing to downgrade provision again on your watch, as Secretary of State passengers have a right to expect you to act.
I hope to see such an announcement in due course.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Lamb
Crawley Borough Councillor &
Labour candidate for Crawley
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