List of ticket offices due to close / reduce hours

[MidnightFlyer]

Does Hartford have a Permit to Travel machine? I know Acton Bridge does, and the NRE site doesn't always mention them. LM seem to be a lot keener on people paying before they travel than Northern are.

Does it? I've only ever been there once a couple of years ago but I cannot recall there being one in the disused booking office or the roadside, and certainly not on the platforms. I thought LM especially were phasing them out in lieu of TVMs.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

This thread is depressing - TVMs and ö people is simply another way of stopping disabled customers using the railway. Its all very well putting a machine in a humans place but when a blind passenger like myself turns up you have a problem.

Welcome to the world of Progress on the railway!, Machines can do this and that but they can't replace a well trained person who knows where he is, knows what to do, and knows how to treat people. The one thing that always gets me is no matter how many times people go on about cutting costs. is there anyone who actually believes passengers will see cheaper fares? If people actually believe this they are very very deluded. Passengers will still be expected to pay the same and we we will pay the same in taxes. the only people who benefit are the shareholders.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Passengers will still be expected to pay the same

I wish that was the case!
In reality passengers (and probably the taxpayer) will end up paying even more.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

I wish that was the case!
In reality passengers (and probably the taxpayer) will end up paying even more.

You are probably right!

 

[pemma]

Welcome to the world of Progress on the railway!, Machines can do this and that but they can't replace a well trained person who knows where he is, knows what to do, and knows how to treat people. The one thing that always gets me is no matter how many times people go on about cutting costs. is there anyone who actually believes passengers will see cheaper fares? If people actually believe this they are very very deluded. Passengers will still be expected to pay the same and we we will pay the same in taxes. the only people who benefit are the shareholders.

Ticket machines can do a job but alongside existing staff. Knutsford has needed either a machine or an additional member of staff at busy times and now it has a machine. Hopefully there is no reduction in the number of ticket office people employed or the the hours they work now.

Sometimes progress can be made but I don't think staff are for it because it would make their roles seem less essential to managers. For instance, without going over to DOO, you could allow drivers to release the doors but only allow guards to close them, which would then avoid guards rushing back to release the doors 30 seconds after the train has stopped, delaying the train in progress. However, as it's a step towards DOO I can't see it being popular with people like yourself.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Ticket machines can do a job but alongside existing staff. Knutsford has needed either a machine or an additional member of staff at busy times and now it has a machine. Hopefully there is no reduction in the number of ticket office people employed or the the hours they work now.

Sometimes progress can be made but I don't think staff are for it because it would make their roles seem less essential to managers. For instance, without going over to DOO, you could allow drivers to release the doors but only allow guards to close them, which would then avoid guards rushing back to release the doors 30 seconds after the train has stopped, delaying the train in progress. However, as it's a step towards DOO I can't see it being popular with people like yourself.

Some of it is self preservation (heck I love my job, feel I do a damn good job and I do have a family to feed). Machines have a place, of course they do however higher management and McNumpty seem to forget that its the staff and passengers that make the railway, on one of my regular trips I know where people are going, I know what they do for a living (some are seriously high up MD's of National companies/Charities, which amazes me no matter how many years I do this job) Too many people see machines as an answer to cutting costs, yes we know costs needs to be cut and yes sometimes staff will bare the brunt of it, and no matter how begrudgenly we accept it. somewhere like Knutsford with having the Ticket office hours like they do is a godsend for Guards not only does it keep Fare Evasion down it gives a face to the railway. Northwich should be open longer but isn'y and so many people get away with fares to lostock Gralam and Greenbank its laughable but as they are only small fares the company doesn't care or if they realise they are losinf some money they will put on a poorly trained G4s member of staff. I see so many shortcuts to save money the last couple of years I fear for not just my job but the future of the railway as a whole, it will always run but who will want to use it?

 

[WestCoast]

This thread is depressing - TVMs and ö people is simply another way of stopping disabled customers using the railway. Its all very well putting a machine in a humans place but when a blind passenger like myself turns up you have a problem.

That is a really excellent point and I am sure many people without disabilities fail to consider this. Staffing policies do vary quite significantly even in the same region - take Merseyside and Greater Manchester - the former has well-staffed stations and the latter had many unstaffed or poorly staffed stations.

Taking a metro system which has a zero-tolerance towards buying before boarding (e.g. Tyne and Wear Metro or Manchester Metrolink) and doesn't offer staffed ticket offices at all, it must be difficult for those who can't use TVMs to obtain tickets (this is more likely to affect those from outside the area, since locals will have passes).

 

[pemma]

they will put on a poorly trained G4s member of staff.

It's usually 2 members of G4S staff that they use and only 1 of them has a machine, the other one can just check tickets or stop someone without a ticket running away while the other one sells a ticket.

Using external agencies to do something is usually more expensive than employing extra internal staff over the long term. External agencies only really work effectively from a costing point of view as short term measures, for instance, revenue checks on the Blackpool South line in the school summer holidays. Northern shouldn't be using G4S all year round.

 

[142094]

Taking a metro system which has a zero-tolerance towards buying before boarding (e.g. Tyne and Wear Metro or Manchester Metrolink) and doesn't offer staffed ticket offices at all, it must be difficult for those who can't use TVMs to obtain tickets (this is more likely to affect those from outside the area, since locals will have passes).

That is quite a good point, and one that I might raise myself. On the Tyne and Wear Metro you can arrange for assistance at any station as long as you contact them directly beforehand, although it doesn't specify if this extends to help buying tickets. Some of the main stations are staffed during the day, so passengers can be helped by customer service staff.

I'll ask around and see what I can find out.

 

[pemma]

somewhere like Knutsford with having the Ticket office hours like they do is a godsend for Guards not only does it keep Fare Evasion down it gives a face to the railway.

Also with the station not having live running train information or a PA system it is difficult for passengers to be kept informed when the ticket office is closed.

 

[HSTEd]

Perhaps some stations could reduce staffing if they could set up a ticket office stall adjacent to the gateline so the staff member at the window can also assist people with the barrier if they get stuck or have a non machine readable ticket?

 

[172212]

This was asked in Parliament last week and the minister duly replied..
http://www.publications.parliament..../cm120614/text/120614w0001.htm#12061455000032

Ticket offices proposed to close
London Midland
Adderley Park
Bescot Stadium
Cheddington
Duddeston
Jewellery Quarter
Lye
Small Heath
Witton
Wythall

...

I agree Adderly Park and Lye should close, because they're smaller stations than most of the rest mentioned. I'm not too sure about Jewellery Quarter though

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I don't think Wilmslow is actually proposed for closure.....

It took an most dramatic upward surge in my blood pressure when I read that Wilmslow was mentioned in the first posting. We use this station for the ATW services to Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Hereford quite often and there are always people using the booking office at off-peak late morning hours.

Prestbury, of course, well-heeled as it is, does not have any face-to-face contact, but we use Macclesfield station as our main station for normal booking office use for railcard issue, etc.

I suppose we are extremely lucky to live equidistant to two major stations on two main lines, with only a short drive to both of them.....and also to Manchester Airport railway station.

 

[island]

Out of interest, do TVMs count towards the "walk past open ticket office" requirement?

If not, won't this lead to increases in fare evasion?

Yes if you are departing the station, no if you are arriving the station unless it is a Southern TVM, which can issue remotely.

This is irrespective of whether the ticket you want is sold by the TVM as if there is a working TVM but the ticket you want isn't available you are obliged to buy a ticket covering part of your journey and part-exchange it en route.

What I am most concerned about is that TVMs can't issue railcards. And before you point out you can buy them online, you can't if (1) you need the card quickly (2) you're foreign (3) you don't have the required documentation for YP/SNR railcards or the website is throwing a wobbly and won't accept it (4) you don't have an acceptable payment card (5) you don't have access to a camera (for YP) or (6) you're a mature student (for YP). And I'm sure there's more.

Nederlandse Spoorwegen has closed a large number of its booking offices but in most stations you can buy your ticket from the convenience store. I don't condone its surcharge for using them, but that's another story.

I think there should be far more permit to travel machines than there currently are.

 

[WatcherZero]

Heres the actual List, note that no requests have been refused.

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/railway-ticket-opening-hours/summary-requests-may2010.pdf

 

[pemma]

Heres the actual List, note that no requests have been refused.

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/railway-ticket-opening-hours/summary-requests-may2010.pdf

But conversely none of the LM requests have been accepted, so no ticket offices have been confirmed as closing. Ignoring a few Southeastern requests the rest have all been accepted.

There's also applications for extending ticket office hours at some stations on that list. York is one station that's mentioned.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Leamington Spa, Retford, Wakefield Westgate, York, Hagley, Shenstone, Tamworth, Tring, Garforth and Cross Gates are the only extension proposals.