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Carnforth, Clitheroe & Nelson ticket offices under threat

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lyndhurst25

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This has been mentioned on the Buses & Coaches subforum but I suspect that not everyone reads that. Lancashire County Counci are proposing the closure of the ticket office/information centres at Carnforth, Clitheroe and Nelson stations, along with the information office at the newly refurbished Preston bus station. That's a great pity as I have always found the staff at Carnforth and Clitheroe to be very knowledgable and helpful, even when buying unusual tickets (I've never used the one at Nelson). I don't recall what the current TVM provision at the stations is like. There's a consultation process going on, so if you feel strongly about the cuts then here is the link to complain:

http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/news/details/?Id=PR18/0112

A consultation is taking place from Monday 5 March to Sunday 29 April, with people able to respond via the county council's website or by picking up a questionnaire at the information centres.

The council is proposing to save £156,000 by closing information centres at Preston Bus Station, Nelson and Clitheroe interchanges, and Carnforth railway station.

County Councillor Geoff Driver CBE, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "We're committed to providing the best services we can to the people of Lancashire, and particularly to protecting services for the most vulnerable in our communities.

"However, like many other local authorities, our financial position remains extremely challenging
 
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Ant158

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...Lancashire County Counci are proposing the closure of the ticket office/information... I don't recall what the current TVM provision at the stations is like.

http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/news/details/?Id=PR18/0112

There are no TVMs at Clitheroe Station. It’s frustrating as a Ribble Valley resident that the nearest place to pick up online tickets for future travel is Accrington. No TVM at Whalley, Langho etc too.
 

philthetube

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Tickets at Nelson are sold by the cafe, I am surprised it is LCC's to close. It looks more like a Mersyrail set up.
 

Mallone

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Apparently, Carnforth ticket office is closing in October, it has just been refurbished.
TVM's going on platforms 1and2.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Tickets at Nelson are sold by the cafe, I am surprised it is LCC's to close. It looks more like a Mersyrail set up.

How long has that been the case for? My memory may be going but as it is getting on two years since I was last there, but when I was I am sure the ticket retailing was done in a dedicated travel centre (just to the left of the subway to the platform I believe).
 

gnolife

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How long has that been the case for? My memory may be going but as it is getting on two years since I was last there, but when I was I am sure the ticket retailing was done in a dedicated travel centre (just to the left of the subway to the platform I believe).
It was still that travel centre when I went on the 22nd January
 

philthetube

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How long has that been the case for? My memory may be going but as it is getting on two years since I was last there, but when I was I am sure the ticket retailing was done in a dedicated travel centre (just to the left of the subway to the platform I believe).
maybe they both sell them?I certainly bought from the cafe I specifically remember because he struggled to sell a priv.
 

lyndhurst25

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Clitheroe station ticket office is now set to close next February, which is a shame.

https://www.pendletoday.co.uk/news/...travel-information-centre-to-close-1-10134014

Clitheroe Interchange ticket office is facing the axe, it has been revealed.

Much to the dismay of local rail and bus users, the information centre will close it's doors in February next year. Passengers wishing to travel will have to purchase tickets from the vending machine on the platform, online or from other ticket providers.

The move is being blamed on Lancashire County Council's funding cuts.

As reported in the Clitheroe Advertiser last year, the authority proposed to shut travel information centres at the Clitheroe and Nelson transport interchanges and their equivalents on Preston Bus Station and Carnforth Railway Station, to save £156,000 a year as it tried to avoid a forecast financial deficit. A few months later, the county council’s cabinet approved an officers’ recommendation to suspend the closures while they explored approaches from third parties interested in taking them over. Clitheroe interchange was saved from the axe after the Community Rail Partnership successfully applied to take it over. However, the transport information centre at Nelson interchange didn't have the same fate and it was forced to close after two bids to take it over were rejected.

Now, members of the Community Rail Partnership say it is "impractical to continue" running the Clitheroe service.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "In February 2018 Lancashire County Council agreed to make savings to help balance its budget by closing a number of travel information centres and ticket offices.

"Following a consultation process the council began working with Community Rail Lancashire to explore whether a sustainable solution could be found to keep the ticket office at Clitheroe Interchange open in the long term.

"In the meantime, the council has continued to operate the ticket office, and is grateful to the Community Rail Partnership for their interest and determined efforts to try to find a way to keep the ticket office running. However, the Community Rail Partnership have now determined it is impractical to continue and have withdrawn their interest.

"The council will now go ahead with the closure of the ticket office, with the last day of ticket sales to the public expected to be on February 5th, 2020.

"Rail services from Clitheroe will continue unaffected, and passengers wishing to travel can purchase tickets from the vending machine on the platform, online or from other ticket providers.

Coun. Ian Brown, Conservative councillor for Lancashire County Council, said: "We are currently holding meetings to see if we can find a solution to keep the Clitheroe ticket office open. The proposed closure is unfortunately a sign of the times."
 

janb

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Nelson closed in September.
Carnforth is closing 13th December.
 

swanhill41

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Oh god ...Services like the station ticket office at Carnforth closing,but another take away operation,vape store,turkish barber etc etc are opening here there and everywhere..The human touch ref the railways seems to be disappearing....Sorry but we seem to be moving away from the human touch,the community feel...The internet and smart phones have a lot to answer for...Yes I am old miserable git aged 74....But like a lot of others are not happy with this hollowing out proper personal of service etc....But to be real in terms of profit and loss,Carnforth probably did not cover its costs etc...Still if Uncle Jeremy gets in on 12th,may be able to reopen !!...LOL
 

lyndhurst25

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Since the beginning of this year, Clitheroe office has been open in the mornings Monday to Wednesday only. The station has also recently had some new signs installed, including one "Information and ticket office". I was rather hoping that these were indications that the office had been saved, albeit with reduced hours. However a notice in the window says that it is indeed being closed down permanently at noon on Wednesday 5th February 2020. A sad loss.
 

Starmill

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For a franchise that promised significant extra staffing, it's interesting to see that they have now in fact de-staffed at least four stations completely, the three mentioned in this thread and Burscough Bridge. I don't know if there are more.
 

30907

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For a franchise that promised significant extra staffing, it's interesting to see that they have now in fact de-staffed at least four stations completely, the three mentioned in this thread and Burscough Bridge. I don't know if there are more.
They didn't staff these 3 in the first place.
 

Baxenden Bank

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For a franchise that promised significant extra staffing, it's interesting to see that they have now in fact de-staffed at least four stations completely, the three mentioned in this thread and Burscough Bridge. I don't know if there are more.
The three stations discussed in the thread are/were staffed by Lancashire County Council, nothing to do with the Northern franchise.
 

fishwomp

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I was surprised to read that Clitheroe had a ticket office in the first place! At one train an hour, and 250,000 entries/exits a year, it wouldn't be top of anyone's list to staff this one if starting afresh. Compare Saltaire with nearly 1M entries/exits, or Mirfield with 450,000 - neither have one, in fact scarcely they have a bus shelter to keep warm in either.
 

Baxenden Bank

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I was surprised to read that Clitheroe had a ticket office in the first place! At one train an hour, and 250,000 entries/exits a year, it wouldn't be top of anyone's list to staff this one if starting afresh. Compare Saltaire with nearly 1M entries/exits, or Mirfield with 450,000 - neither have one, in fact scarcely they have a bus shelter to keep warm in either.
It's not really a rail ticket office. It's a bus station enquiry office, including tourist information, which happens to also sell rail tickets. The same at Carnforth and presumably Nelson, although I do remember Nelson having a proper ticket office. Then again I remember BR Merrymaker Trains (excursions) which were apparently very popular with Nelsonites.
 

Starmill

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The three stations discussed in the thread are/were staffed by Lancashire County Council, nothing to do with the Northern franchise.
So what? The company had the opportunity to take the staff on, and decided not to.

The company haven't staffed any unstaffed stations as they said they would either.
 

Baxenden Bank

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So what? The company had the opportunity to take the staff on, and decided not to.

The company haven't staffed any unstaffed stations as they said they would either.

So what? FACTS is what!
You said:
For a franchise that promised significant extra staffing, it's interesting to see that they have now in fact de-staffed at least four stations completely, the three mentioned in this thread and Burscough Bridge. I don't know if there are more.

I cannot speak for Burscough, but they have not de-staffed any of the other three. The stations may have become un-staffed, Northern may have had the opportunity to staff them. Northern may have franchise commitments to staff others, but they have not de-staffed any of the three under discussion.
 

a_c_skinner

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This is a shame. The staff at Carnforth were polite, helpful and knowledgeable. I thought they'd been gone for ages, since the roof repairs.
 

fishwomp

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It's not really a rail ticket office. It's a bus station enquiry office, including tourist information, which happens to also sell rail tickets. The same at Carnforth and presumably Nelson, although I do remember Nelson having a proper ticket office. Then again I remember BR Merrymaker Trains (excursions) which were apparently very popular with Nelsonites.
Thanks - that explains why it is the council that manage it as others have said.
 

lyndhurst25

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Carnforth, Nelson and Clitheroe ticket offices seem to have fallen through the funding gap: victims of being multi-purpose facilities, not run by the railway. Lancashire County Council is short of cash: selling train tickets for Northern and providing bus and tourist information is clearly not on its list of priorities. Northern could have taken over the offices but it is short of cash too and manning those offices is not part of their franchise commitment. Even if Northern did take over then the bus and tourist information side of things would probably be cut back. I understand that community rail groups were asked if they could step in but were unable to do so for whatever reasons.

Saying that Clitheroe has "only" 250000 rail passengers per year and therefore doesn't deserve a ticket office isn't really a valid argument: it was more than just a ticket office. There are many stations with far fewer passengers, e.g. Settle and Appleby, that Northern are keeping open.

Once these facilities have been shut they are usually gone for good. The only hope is that the new nationalised Northern can be persuaded that these towns do deserve manned stations and to reverse the closures. It would be a quick win for them to be seen to be improving things their network: any other improvements are going to take some time to filter through.
 

Starmill

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So what? FACTS is what!
You said:


I cannot speak for Burscough, but they have not de-staffed any of the other three. The stations may have become un-staffed, Northern may have had the opportunity to staff them. Northern may have franchise commitments to staff others, but they have not de-staffed any of the three under discussion.
LOL ok thanks?
 

geoffk

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I thought that Burnley Manchester Road also had booking office staff funded by Lancs CC, but perhaps it was just the building itself which they helped pay for.
 

Starmill

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I thought that Burnley Manchester Road also had booking office staff funded by Lancs CC, but perhaps it was just the building itself which they helped pay for.
The times at Burnley Central were reduced significantly when Burnley Manchester Road's booking office opened.
 
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