Sunderland councillors welcome U-turn over closure of train station ticket offices

Sunderland councillors have welcomed the news of a U-turn by the Government and rail operators over plans to close the majority of train station ticket offices across the country.

The original decision left Sunderland in the position of being in the process of building a ticket office in the new train station with the prospect of it being unable to open for service.

Speaking at the time, leader of Sunderland City Council, Cllr Graeme Miller, said: "This is about more cuts to public services and I’m in total agreement with the rising wave of protest against shutting railway station ticket offices.

"And this is even before we dwell on the point or irony that a ticket office in our city’s new railway station might not even actually open."

With work soon to be completed on the £27m new city centre station, the Government has now directed train operators to withdraw the planned closures.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the proposed planned closures "do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers".

He was speaking in response to watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch announcing they opposed every single planned closure due to issues such as the impact on accessibility.

The plans were brought forward by train operators in July with support from the Government, which has put pressure on the sector to cut costs.

Responding to the U turn, Cllr Miller said: "This is a sensible decision. Sunderland is a rail hub and a lot of people come here to connect to other places. 

"To have not had a ticket office here, especially since we have spent public money on a brand new ticket office in a brand new station, would have been farcical."

The decision has also been welcomed by the city’s Lib Dem councillor for Millfield, Thornhill and the City Centre, Niall Hodson, who said: "People in Sunderland will be over the moon at this U-turn from the Government.

"Thankfully it looks like we will now avoid the absurd situation of a new ticket office being built as part of the refurbished southern entrance to Sunderland Station but never actually opening to the public.

"This is welcome news for older and disabled passengers in particular, those who needed face to face services for tickets, passes and season tickets - and for anyone who prefers to speak to a real person rather than use a self-service machine."

Transport for the North, which advises on the strategic improvement of transport across northern counties, has also welcomed the the news.

A spokesperson said: "We are pleased that plans to close ticket offices are not being taken forward. As today’s report from Transport Focus clearly shows, withdrawing ticket office staff would leave passengers very disadvantaged and would be a barrier to people using the railway.

"The way that people buy their tickets is changing, and we need to take account of that, but the presence of staff is about so much more than simply retailing tickets.

"They are a human point of contact, including helping passengers who might need assistance or providing reassurance for those who might be wary of travelling alone.

"We believe ticket office staffing should be looked at only as part of a wider review of stations, that takes in pay-as-you-go, retail and other services.

"Done correctly, we can ensure that reform supports growth and the needs of all passengers. But it must not be to the disadvantage of any station users, especially in regards to accessibility and safety."

Speaking about the change in plans, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "The consultation on ticket offices has now ended, with the Government making clear to the rail industry throughout the process that any resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers.

"We have engaged with accessibility groups throughout this process and listened carefully to passengers as well as my colleagues in Parliament.

"The proposals that have resulted from this process do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers, and so the Government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals."

Transport Focus and London TravelWatch were required to review each proposal to close a ticket office based on criteria relating to customer service, accessibility and cost-effectiveness, before deciding whether or not to object.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, said there were "serious overall concerns" over issues including how so-called welcome points would work, how operators would sell a "full range" of tickets, and how excessive queues at ticket machines would be avoided.