Matt Vickers MP has urged residents to have their say over the future of our local railway stations. Ticket Offices at Thornaby and Eaglescliffe stations are both under consultation for closure by Northern and Trans Pennine Rail Operators.
In a moved dubbed by Northern Rail as “a new approach”, train companies across the country have proposed cuts to in-person ticket services pointing to the increasing number of people who buy their tickets online.
However, Eaglescliffe does not have an electronic ticket machines at present, making it unclear how the same level of accessibility will be maintained.
The companies believe that this will match the modern retail market, but there are fears it could leave those with disabilities, those using cash or those using certain flexible travel tickets isolated from travelling by train.
8% of all travellers still rely on ticket office to purchase their tickets, and this comes after residents raised concerns revised ticket office timetables had already reduced hours too far.
This move will also threaten an unknown number of jobs, marking a transition to online services over human contact.
The proposed closures are open to a short consultation period, and the public are urged to make their opinions known before Wednesday 26 July.
Matt Vickers MP said:
“There is a huge amount of concern about these proposals and what they mean for the accessibility and security of our local stations.
“Train travel is an incredibly important mode of transport for the disabled, elderly and young people within our community. These moves will make it harder for those using cash or those less able to use online methods, and those are often the most vulnerable.
“Without ticket office staff, our stations will be left unmanned and there are concerns for what impact this will have on the security of our stations.
“I encourage all of my constituents to respond to Trans Pennines consultation on Thornaby station, and Northern’s on Eaglescliffe Station, on behalf of themselves, fellow affected travellers and our great helpful staff who’s job maybe at risk.”
To take part in these consultations, residents should fill out the online form, found on Transport Focus.
Then dependant on their local station, residents should email the completed form to either:
Eaglescliffe Station: [email protected]
Thornaby Station: [email protected]
