Campaigners welcome ticket office U-turn after huge backlash

In July train operators announced plans for a raft of ticket-office closures, which would have left Wolverhampton, Walsall, Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Gobowen as the only stations serving the Black Country and Shropshire with staffed booths.

But Transport Secretary Mark Harper has now instructed rail companies to drop the proposals – months after the Government called on the operators to cut costs.

The U-turn follows a consultation by watchdog body Transport Focus, which yesterday announced it would opposed every single planned closure due.

Keith Flinders, of Stourbridge Line User Group, had been among those who had campaigned to save the office at Stourbridge Junction. The office is known as the home of George the Station cat.

Mr Flinders said: "I think its good news, common sense has prevailed at last.

"The irony is the train operating companies had to front the plan, having been told by the Government to do it.

"Now the Government is now telling the train operators not to do it."

Mr Flinders said the office at Stourbridge Junction was the fifth busiest in the West Midlands, closely followed by Kidderminster. Under the plans, passengers would instead have to travel to Birmingham Snow Hill.

The news has been welcomed by Andy Street, elected mayor for the West Midlands.

"Good to see plans to close ticket offices across the West Midlands have been scrapped," he said.

"As I outlined back in August, I had significant concerns with the proposals around accessibility, assistance and information.

"I'm pleased the Government has listened and changed course."

Mr Harper said the Government had made it clear to the rail industry that any proposals would need to meet a high threshold of passenger service.

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

“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.”

The proposals were originally put forward by train operators through their representative body, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).

This followed pressure from the Government to save money amid the drop in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

A source at one rail operator said: “There is quiet fury in the rail industry about where we’ve got to.

“The plan was signed off by civil servants and ministers. They’ve U-turned.”

Transport Focus was required to review each proposed closure outside London 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 the body had analysed 750,000 responses to the consultation, and held detailed discussions with train companies.

Of these, 47,871 objections were lodged against the proposals by Avanti West Coast, which operates express services throughout the West Midlands. More than 1,000 people objected to plans to close the ticket office at Stafford station, and 683 objected to closing booths at Birmingham New Street.

Mr Smith said: “Significant amendments and changes have been secured by the watchdog, for example reverting to existing times when staff will be on hand at many stations.

"Some train companies were closer than others in meeting our criteria.

“However, serious overall concerns remain about how potentially useful innovations, such as welcome points, would work in practice.

“We also have questions about how the impact of these changes would be measured and how future consultation on staffing levels will work.

“Some train companies were unable to convince us about their ability to sell a full range of tickets, handle cash payments and avoid excessive queues at ticket machines.

“Passengers must be confident they can get help when needed and buy the right ticket in time for the right train.”

The decision was welcomed by the rail union TSSA.

General secretary Maryam Eslamdoust, said: “Our union has fought tooth and nail for many months to stop what would have been a catastrophe for our railways.

“We are delighted that the Government has admitted defeat and scrapped these wrong-headed plans.

"We have been saying from the outset that railway ticket offices and station staff are a vital and loved public service. They should never have been under attack in the first place."

Louise Rubin of disability charity Scope said she was also pleased the plans had been dropped.

“These plans made no sense in the context of our inaccessible rail network, and would have resulted in more people being stranded without the support they need," she said.

A spokesman for Avanti West Coast said: “We acknowledge the results of this public consultation and will now study the detailed responses of the passenger bodies to see how we can continue to evolve as an industry in order to be to be accessible, customer focused and financially sustainable."