Mayors across England are poised to take legal action over controversial plans that could see more than a thousand train station ticket offices closed across the country.
Earlier this month the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) launched a 21-day consultation on its plans to close down almost all of the 1,0007 remaining ticket offices.
The plans have been heavily criticised by Mayors across England, who have now come together to initiate a legal challenge against rail operators – TransPennine Express, Northern Trains Ltd, LNER, EMR, Thameslink, Greater Anglia and Avanti – as they believe the type of consultation they are using is inappropriate for changes of this scale, and is being conducted in a "chaotic" manner.
The mayors say they are ready to take legal action if the consultation is not suspended and reviewed.
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In a pre-action protocol letter, the Mayors (listed below) have stated their concerns, setting out their legal case and asking for the consultation to be suspended.
If no action is taken by the operators in response to their initial legal letter, then the Mayors would pursue legal action by way of Judicial Review. If the consultation was to be suspended, the Mayors would seek an urgent meeting with Ministers to discuss how reform of the railways can be undertaken to the benefit, and not detriment, of passengers.
The concern is that the current plans would impact the most vulnerable in society, including disabled and older people, with many ticket machines at train stations outside of London not being accessible as they are cashless. Of the 467 northern rail stations, 449 have cashless ticket machines.
As part of their case for closures, the RDG have stated that 12% of rail ticket transactions are done at ticket offices – which the mayors say is in reality still 60 million ticket sales per year.
In the Liverpool City Region, 75 jobs could be lost with the proposed closure of ticket offices at 18 stations. The affected stations are all operated by Northern.
The proposals, if approved after the consultation period, would see ticket offices at Edge Hill, Wavertree Technology Park, Roby, Huyton, Prescot, Eccleston Park, Thatto Heath, Garswood, Whiston, Rainhill, Lea Green, St Helens Junction, Earlestown, Newton-le- Willows, Mossley Hill, West Allerton, Halewood and Hough Green close. This could result in the loss of 61 jobs.
Last year 26% of all tickets in the city region were purchased at a ticket office, with this figure considerably higher in some areas, such as Halewood, Prescot and Whiston, where it is over 50%. It is predicted that 1 in 4 train passengers in the Liverpool City Region will be affected by ticket office closures.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said: “The measure of any decent society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. The government’s plan to railroad through these ticket office closures, with a completely inadequate 21-day consultation, shows a reckless disregard for the passengers, mostly disabled and elderly residents, who will feel its impact most.
“Not only do these proposals threaten to cut off some of the most vulnerable in our society from accessing the railways, but they are also playing a dangerous game with people’s livelihoods too.
“Ticket office staff play a vital role, whether that is as a lifeline for people who depend on a friendly face to assist them, or a safety net for anyone who feels particularly vulnerable or unsafe travelling alone at night, particularly women and girls. They help passengers to find the best deals and, at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is already stretching families to their limits, people will ultimately end up paying more for their journeys.
“These cuts will disproportionately affect regions like ours, where 26% of all train tickets were purchase at a ticket office last year – more is double the national average. We cannot and should not accept a public transport system that leaves behind the very people who need it most.
“We need to be attracting more people to use our rail system if we are to address the climate emergency – especially if the government continues to backslide on its net zero targets. These proposals will have the opposite effect.
“Our message to the government and train companies is clear: rethink this act of wanton vandalism and go back to the drawing board or we will make you.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham: “This consultation is shambolic and totally inadequate. The Government and Train Operating Companies know what they are doing here, they are trying to dress up staff reductions and cost cutting as ‘improvements to customer service’. What’s worse is they are trying to railroad this through by way of a chaotic consultation – that is why we have come together with this legal challenge to suspend the process immediately.
“These closures will impact the most vulnerable in our society, including older and disabled people, and to give them just 21 days to feedback when they are less likely to have internet access, is outrageous.
“These plans represent the complete destruction of our rail services. They are trying to close almost every ticket office when services in the north are the most unreliable they have ever been, but prices are still through the roof. It’s almost as if they are trying to drive people away from rail and we are not going to stand for this.”
Mayors supporting the action:
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham
Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin
Mayor of Liverpool City-Region, Steve Rotheram
Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard
Mayor of North Tyne, Jamie Driscoll
Mayor of Cambridge and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson
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