Railway ticket booths set to be axed

Blow to rail passengers as several manned ticket booths across the district are to close

TICKET offices across the district are set to be axed, dealing another blow to beleaguered rail passengers.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association union has unearthed a Government report stating 675 ticketing booths in England and Wales are to be chopped, with several closures planned for West Berkshire.

Stations hit include Thatcham, Theale, Pangbourne, Tilehurst, and Goring and Streatley.

Reading West is also on the list, which has been published as part of the McNulty Report, "Realising the Potential of GB Rail: Report on the Rail Value for Money Study".

The south east will be the hardest hit with 265 stations being left unmanned.

It proposes that all category E Stations, which are classed as small staffed stations which typically have only one member of staff in attendance at any one time, should close.

Public transport protection group Together for Transport have said the move will be damaging to passengers who will be inconvenienced by the loss of the opportunity to seek advice about planning rail travel, will lose the ability to get advice about a range of ticket products including cheaper options and lose the option to pay by cash if ticket machines - like some proposed to be installed - only accept debit or credit cards, and will lose the assurance of assistance in the event of an accident or assault.

The south east will be the hardest hit with 265 stations being left unmanned with no ticket offices.

Commuters now face a wait until Transport Secretary Philip Hammond makes a decision on the report this autumn.

Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA, called on Mr Hammond to reject the cutbacks called for by Sir Roy McNulty in his report on cost savings in the industry.

"This is a double whammy for millions of passengers,” he said.

“Last month they were told that fares will rise by 25 per cent over the next three years.

“And they are now set to lose one in four ticket offices. Not only are unstaffed stations less secure, tickets bought from machines are usually more expensive.”

The move follows further bad news for rail passengers in West Berkshire, as aside from the hike in season ticket prices, a recent report on train overcrowding showed four of the top five most overcrowded trains in the south served Newbury.

How will you be affected by the decision to close the manned booths?

Email mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk or telephone 01635 564532.