READING Borough Council has welcomed another U-turn by rail providers as operators roll back plans to close ticket offices across rail networks.
Following the announcement by TfL last week that one-day Travelcards would remain, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said that train operators have been asked to scrap plans to close ticket offices.
Reading Borough Council formally objected to proposals to close ticket offices back in July, with Cllr John Ennis, lead councillor for climate strategy and transport, raising concerns about the impact they would have on vulnerable residents, particularly those with disabilities.
The letter sets out seven main objections to the proposals, arguing that customer safety, ease of use, and the level of service accessible by certain passengers will all suffer as a result of fewer ticket offices.
With Reading Station being one of the busiest outside of London, the letter argued that passengers need not only to be able to see staff, but to be able to find them when needed, which ticket offices largely assure.
Cllr Ennis said following the announcement: “I’m sure the news that plans to close railway ticket offices have been scrapped will be welcomed by many rail passengers in Reading.
“The Council objected to the proposed closures because it had significant concerns about the affect this move would have had on travellers with a disability, or who are visually impaired and may not be able to use online booking or ticket machines.
“Ticket offices provide a fixed point of contact for passengers who need advice and help from knowledgeable staff and to lose them would have made using the railway less inviting and less accessible.”
He added: “We are pleased that our voice and the voices of hundreds of thousands of people who objected to this retrograde step have been heard and listened to.”
