Leader’s statement on the proposed closure of railway station ticket offices

Cllr David Rouane, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, has issued the following statement on the proposed closure of railway station ticket offices:

A number of councillors have contacted me to say that, had the statement by the Rail Delivery Group about the closure of ticket offices come sooner, they would have liked to put a motion to tonight’s meeting (Thursday 13 July) asking me to write on behalf of the council to express our concerns.

Given our stance on the need to remove barriers to the use of public transport rather than private cars, and the recognition that safety concerns for those travelling alone constitutes one of those barriers, then I am happy that I do not need a specific motion to prompt writing such a letter.

GWR have already contacted us to say that “there is a good case for bringing staff out of the ticket office and onto the concourse. We are not reducing station hours and our plans mean that customers should have better engagement with staff. Access to other station facilities and services such as passenger assistance, toilets and waiting rooms remains unchanged.”

I will seek assurances from the companies that the closure of ticket offices is not a back door to reducing the number of staff present on stations to provide advice, support and reassurance to all travellers but especially to the most vulnerable.

Although my local station, Didcot, is very busy and generally well staffed throughout the day, I am aware that those using smaller stations such as Culham, Goring or Cholsey will have greater concerns. When I told others of my experience travelling back from a council engagement late at night using Culham station, which is particularly isolated, many reacted to say ‘why didn’t you travel by car?’, which is not the response that we want to hear.