An Oldham MP has written to a minister to express concerns over the planned closure of Oldham’s only ticket office, at Greenfield.
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams wrote to Huw Merriman MP, Minister for Rail and HS2, to express concerns over the proposed closure of the ticket office, following a ‘call for evidence’ from her constituents.
It comes after plans to shut hundreds of ticket offices around the country were announced, which the Rail Delivery Group says is aimed at modernising customer service.
However, documents written by rail companies themselves have conceded several downsides to the proposals.
Greenfield Station, managed by Northern but served only by TransPennine Express services, is home to Oldham’s only rail ticket office.
Oldham’s only other train, at Mills Hill, is unstaffed.
In July, Ms Abrahams wrote to the Equality and Human Rights Commission Chief Executive Marcial Boo about the impact of the proposals on inequalities for disabled and older people.
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Mr Boo responded to Ms Abrahams later the same month to confirm that he “shared [her] concerns” about this, and confirmed that he had met with the Government to reiterate the requirement to prevent discrimination under equality legislation.
A public consultation over the closure is due to close at 23.59 today, September 1.
Over the last few weeks, Ms Abrahams has been holding a ‘call for evidence,’ asking her Oldham East and Saddleworth constituents to contact her to share their experiences about what the potential impact of the ticket office closures would be for themselves and their families.
Following the call for evidence, the MP has now written to the Transport Minister to share her constituents’ concerns and ask that the ticket office remains open.
The letter said: “as a constituency MP, I am keen to hear the views of residents in Oldham East and Saddleworth about the closure of the ticket offices at Greenfield Station. That’s why I held a ‘call for evidence’ for my constituents to explain their experiences so that I can bring these to your attention ahead of the decision being made.”
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Comments from constituents included: “I am hoping to explore the possibility of rail travel again and buy my first disabled person's railcard soon.
“Knowing there would be someone to speak to, book tickets and advise me on receiving assistance getting on and off the train and alternatives to getting off the train at Greenfield would be very reassuring.
“I am always a bit hesitant to use ticket machines and to not have a person around should I have any difficulties would further deter me from using the train at Greenfield.”
Debbie Abrahams MP said: “I would like to thank all my constituents who took part in the call for evidence about the closure of the ticket office at Greenfield Station.
“I am very grateful to them for sharing their first-hand experiences which has enhanced the strength of my case to the Government about keeping the ticket office open.
“The ball is now in the Minister’s court, he can either listen to my constituents and keep the ticket office open, or ignore them and continue to pursue this discriminatory and exclusionary policy.”
Government says no decision made yet
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The public phase of the consultation will close at midnight and independent passenger bodies will begin reviewing each response with train operating companies over the coming weeks.
“No decisions have been made on the future of any ticket office but we have been clear about our responsibility to deliver accessible transport for everyone.”
Station operator responds
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, which runs Greenfield station, said: “Across all business sectors the way people consume, access and purchase products and services has changed.
“Rail is no different - only one in six journeys on Northern services are purchased through a ticket office, this compares to almost half of all journeys in 2018. We need to modernise to meet the changing needs of our customers and we are seeking views from the public on these proposals.
“Along with the rest of the rail industry, Northern is sharing proposals on how we plan to change how we support customers at our stations.
“These proposals include the creation of a new, more visible customer facing role that will offer a wider range of support across our stations.
“This new role will mean that the traditional ticket office is no longer required at most staffed Northern stations, except for 18 at hub locations, that will have amended ticket office opening hours.”
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