South West Trains Company news

Well they are at it again!

We have been informed by the company of proposals to close many Ticket Offices at weekends and also to drastically reduce opening times on weekdays. In our view this not only affects our members working in Ticket Offices, but also has a direct effect on the public in terms of a reduction in the level of customer service, reduced support for elderly or disabled passengers and also creates unsafe environments on train stations that will not be staffed in future.

The company are again using the argument that the increasing use of automated methods of purchasing tickets such as online, oyster and ticket vending machines relaxes the requirement for customer facing ticket sales. In reality the company have been running a campaign designed to prevent Ticket Office Staff from issuing certain tickets and further closures will mean the discounts, advice and assistance normally provided at Ticket Offices will not be so readily available.

When we ran our campaign in 2008 we had fantastic support from Councillors, MP’s, Community and Rail User Groups as well as the travelling public in preventing South West Trains from implementing the changes. We are asking for your support as members to repeat the success we had 18 months ago where as a result of the overwhelming response from all sectors of the community the Department For Transport blocked the plans and drastically reduced the number of changes the company were going to implement. For information the proposals for reductions in opening times and closures is attached.

The DfT, as a result of the last consultation set a precedent where stations that sold more than 12 tickets per hour should remain open and no changes should be made. However many of the stations proposed in fact sell more than this minimum requirement per hour and SWT have added the criteria of a potential reduction in ticket sales at stations due to the introduction of Oyster Card travel at London Stations, which we believe is misleading.

There is currently a public consultation taking place that ends on Wednesday 24th March 2010. We would please urge you to forward this to your friends and family and urge them to write direct to London Travel Watch (Within London Travelcard areas) or Passenger Focus (for all others outside London) to be part of the consultation exercise no later than Thursday 18th March 2010.

Their contact details can be found below with links to the relevant pages regarding the consultation. We are planning a campaign of leafleting at stations and hope that you may be able to get involved in the areas affected.

London TravelWatch (for within London Travelcard area) http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/news.php?id=719

London TravelWatch
6 Middle Street
LONDON
EC1A 7JA
info@londontravelwatch.org.uk

Passenger Focus (Outer London - Middlesex, Hants, Surrey, Wilts and Dorset)
http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/news-and-publications/press-release.asp?dsid=3754

Passenger Focus
Freepost
PO Box 4257,
Manchester, M60 3AR
info@passengerfocus.org.uk

Please note that those responding to the consultation should state how they are affected by the potential closures in some way and should quote their home railway station if appropriate in order for their feedback to be meaningful. The attached document includes which Passenger Group; either Passenger Focus or London TravelWatch is relevant for each area. All representations will be considered so it is important that as many people respond as possible.

We hope that by doing this we can repeat the success we had previously by preventing a company, purely motivated by increased profit from reducing the level of service and safety on the railway. The only way to put pressure on the decision making body, the DfT is by getting as many responses to the consultation as we succeeding in doing so before.

Please encourage everyone you can to write to the Passenger Groups or to complete the petition attached and return at the freepost address to us no later than Monday 22 March 2010.

Download leaflet for distribution here