The RMT are opposing national plans to close ticket offices across the UK
Save our railway ticket offices! Protests and picket lines in Hastings this week
The coming week will see protests and picket lines at Hastings railway station, following the recent announcement by rail firms of plans for the mass closure of England’s ticket offices and the renewal of industrial action by railworkers. Gabriel Carlyle reports.
The railworkers union, the RMT, say the closure plans will significantly worsen passenger service, accessibility, safety and security, and are encouraging members of the public to respond to the current round of ‘consultation’, which closes on 26 July, using their online webtool: https://tinyurl.com/save-our-ticket-offices (it takes less than two minutes).
Publicity for Tuesday’s protest
Hastings Green Party have called a ‘Save our ticket offices!’ protest outside Hastings railway station at 6pm this Tuesday (18 July) – a national day of action, called by the RMT – and are encouraging members of the public to bring banners and placards.
Similar protests are taking place up and down the country.
Hastings Green Party are also encouraging members of the public to show their support for striking railworkers on their picket line at Hastings station this week: Thurs 20 July (8am–noon), Sat 22 July (rally at 10am) and Sat 29 July (8am–noon).
(See here for background on the rail strikes.)
Striking railworkers outside Hastings train station, June 2023. Photo: Gabriel Carlyle
The rally at 10am on Saturday 22 July is being promoted by Hastings Trades Council under the slogans: ‘Save our ticket offices! Fight for a pay rise! Nationalise the railways!’
Plans to close ‘all ticket offices’
The closure plans, which transport secretary Mark Harper is understood to have ‘pushed rail firms into moving ahead’ with, is expected to lead to the closure of almost 1,000 offices within the next three years.
According to its own website, Southeastern (who run the Hastings and St Leonards offices) are proposing ‘for all ticket offices to eventually close’ subject to a public consultation, and for all closures to ‘take place over the next two years’.
What Southeastern say about their plans for future closures.
Some people may have been confused by a highly misleading graphic that appears on the Southeastern website, giving the impression that Hastings and St Leonards stations won’t be closed. However, the graphic only covers the ‘first phase’ consultations.
Closure plans attacked
The plans have been widely attacked by disability groups, the unions and consumer groups.
According to the Green Party’s Transport Spokesperson Matt Edwards:
“Any decision to close station ticket offices would be another short-sighted decision by a government that does not care about people who use public transport to get around …
“Being able to speak to someone is vital for many passengers and plans to close ticketing offices will make travelling by train more difficult for thousands of passengers – especially passengers with disabilities, those with limited mobility and parents travelling with children.
“Instead of another needless fight with unions and passengers, the government should be focusing on getting services running on time, dealing with overcrowding and making travelling by rail more convenient and affordable. Closing ticket offices will achieve none of that.”
Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, has warned: “The rushed closure of ticket offices without proper consideration for the wellbeing of staff or vulnerable passengers could contribute further to the managed decline of our rail network.”
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