General secretary of the RMT, Bob Crow, has said closing booking offices will turn parts of the rail network into a “muggers’ paradise” and place around 100 jobs at risk.
The comments follow the release of a list by the Department for Transport naming the 116 stations where train operators have requested the closure of booking offices or a reduction in hours.
It has been calculated that the controversial move, which is in reaction to the McNulty Rail Value for Money report in reducing costs, will save London Midland, the operator with 82 stations on the list, around £1.25 million but will lead to an increase in ticketless travel of over £400,000 between the implementation of the cuts and the end of the franchise in 2016.
One station on the list in particular has caused concern among rail users. Adderley Park, which has seen its rail services halved in recent years and survived a station closure proposal in 2004, is seen as vulnerable to further attempts if the proposal to turn it into an unstaffed station goes ahead.
Like many of the stations on the list, Adderley Park serves a disadvantaged area, where a higher than average number of people rely on public transport.
Ironically, 60 years ago the station’s main function was to collect and inspect tickets from all trains going into Birmingham New Street, the next station, as Birmingham was an open station without ticket barriers.
At a recent press event Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers told RailStaff that she is aware that booking offices are about more than just selling tickets.
