North East relief over U-turn on rail ticket office closures

Contentious proposals revealed by train chiefs earlier this year would have left Newcastle Central and Hartlepool as the only stations with ticket offices in the region.

But the Government confirmed on Tuesday morning that it would now be asking the rail industry to withdraw the plan, following a public backlash.

There had been major worries about the impact that the closures would have on passengers who rely on ticket office staff when travelling, particularly disabled people and those without access to the internet.

In Sunderland, leaders had condemned the prospect of the ticket office at the city’s revamped £27m train station being lost before it even opened as a “complete and utter waste” of public money.

Sunderland City Council leader Graeme Miller told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the Government had made a “sensible decision”.

Campaigners protest plans to close the ticket office at Berwick Railway Station (Image: LDRService)

The Labour councillor added: “Sunderland is a hub, a lot of people come here to connect to other places. To have not had a ticket office here, especially since we have spent public money on a brand new ticket office in a brand new station, would have been farcical.”

Under the proposals, ticket offices in Alnmouth, Berwick, Bishop Auckland, Durham, Darlington, Hexham, and Morpeth would all have been lost.

Glen Sanderson, the Conservative council leader in Northumberland, expressed his relief at the scrapping of plans that would have seen all four ticket offices in his county closed down.

Coun Sanderson said: “I am feeling very refreshed to know that the strong opposition that was made against these proposals has been grasped and that this very dodgy idea, in my view, will no longer happen. We were particularly worried about those people who don’t travel that often and need some assistance basically being pushed to one side.”

Get more from The Northern Echo for just £3 for 3 months for a Premium Plus annual subscription or £47 for an annual subscription (saving 40%). Click here.

Georgina Hill, an independent councillor in Berwick, said the U-turn was “excellent news and tribute to all those who campaigned against the mean, cost-cutting measure to close the ticket office at Berwick and stations across the country”.

Kim McGuinness, the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, said the plans had been “senseless and discriminatory”.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced on Tuesday that the Government was asking train operators to drop the closure plans after watchdogs Transport Focus said it objected to the idea.

Mr Harper said: “The consultation on ticket offices has now ended, with the Government making clear to the rail industry throughout the process that any resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers.

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

“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.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously suggested closing ticket offices was “the right thing for the British public and British taxpayers” as “only one in 10 tickets are sold currently in ticket offices”.

The rail industry had argued that the changes would modernise services and insisted that staff will be moved onto station platforms and concourses instead.

Recommended reading: 

• Jarrow: Investigation after Albion Gin & Ale House fire
• Couple take over Plough Inn at Hutton Henry in County Durham
• Car windscreen put through on Fenby Avenue in Darlington

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group said: “These proposals were about adapting the railway to the changing needs of customers in the smartphone era, balanced against the significant financial challenge faced by the industry as it recovers from the pandemic.

"At a time when the use of ticket offices is irreversibly declining, we also want to give our people more enriching and rewarding careers geared towards giving passengers more visible face-to-face support.

"While these plans won’t now be taken forward, we will continue to look at other ways to improve passenger experience while delivering value for the taxpayer. Our priority remains to secure a vibrant long-term future for the industry and all those who work in it.”