Transport chiefs in the West Midlands have refused to support proposals to close railway ticket offices across the region, although they have agreed that, in principle, there is a need for stations to be modernised as well as in the way they are managed and staffed.
Their official response to the public consultation on the changes proposed by West Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Chiltern Railways and Avanti West Coast, the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) said they did not have sufficient information about how passenger needs would be met, so they could not support the proposed closures.
Train operators' proposals are to close ticket offices throughout the West Midlands and either redeploy staff onto station platforms while also giving them additional customer service responsibilities, or organise ticket office staff into centralised teams that travel from station to station on a roving basis.
Responses to the consultation are being collated by Transport Focus on behalf of the train operators, but in their reply WMRE and TfWM, which are part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), said there were too many unresolved issues and they were unable to support the current proposals.
The region's transport chiefs have also formally objected to plans for closing the ticket office at New Street Station.
In its response which was also submitted on behalf of TfWM, WMRE stated it was particularly concerned that ticket office staff would be withdrawn with 68 stations across the region being served by “mobile, multi-skilled teams” based at several hubs.
Concerns detailed in the response include:
- Insufficient information on how passengers with mobility issues and other impairments would be catered for.
- Different train operators have different approaches to ticket office provision, which will result in an inconsistent approach across the region and possible confusion for travellers.
- Insufficient information has been provided on the frequency with which mobile ticket teams would visit each station, or if there will be dedicated hours when staff will be available.
Because of the lack of specific information, WMRE and TfWM stated they are unable to agree to the proposals.
Responses have been sent to both the West Midlands Trains Station Retailing Changes consultation for West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern and to the consultation on the Avanti West Coast (AWC) and Chiltern Railways Station Retailing Changes.
As part of its official response, WMRE has asked for assurance that before any changes are implemented, detailed concerns raised by the accessibility group “Transport for All” are considered and addressed.
Although train operators have provided Equality Impact Assessments, WMRE and TfWM are concerned that operators' assessments are inconsistent and do not appear to fully address how the specific needs of individual passengers will be met.
The response points out that while WMRE and TfWM appreciate that operators have provided Equality Impact Assessments, there remain concerns that these assessments are inconsistent and do not appear to fully address how the specific needs of individual passengers will be met.
The public consultation is available online at www.transportfocus.org.uk/ticket-office-consultation/
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMRE Chair, said: “Modernisation of ticket retailing if implemented appropriately, could help improve the experience of passengers. Perceptions of station security could also be improved by having more staff on platforms and concourses, giving more support for those passengers with additional needs.
“So, while WMRE and TfWM are supportive in principle of the need to modernise rail ticketing there are too many concerns unanswered in these proposals for us to support them as they currently are.
“Any changes to ticketing must be for the benefit of passengers but both WMRE and TfWM believe there is insufficient information in these proposals to satisfy that crucial requirement.”
Cllr Mike Bird, the WMCA's portfolio holder for transport and leader of Walsall Council, said: “It's vital that any changes to ticketing result in sufficient staff being on hand to meet the needs of passengers.
“These proposed changes could affect tens of thousands of West Midlands passengers, so we are pleased the consultation has been extended to give people more time to have their say.
“We would encourage anyone who uses the rail network in the West Midlands and is concerned about these changes to make their views known through this consultation.”
