The petition of residents of Stowmarket and nearby villages,
Declares that they are unhappy that Railway Station Ticket offices, particularly Stowmarket are to become unstaffed.
The petitioners therefore urge the House of Commons to note their views and to lobby for this decision to be overturned.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Official Report, 26 October 2023; Vol. 738, c. 17P.]
[P002870]
Observations from the Minister of State, Department for Transport (Huw Merriman):
Given the significant shift in the way passengers purchase tickets—in 2022-23 around one in 10 transactions occurred at a ticket office—the rail industry consulted on proposals to close ticket offices and move staff out from behind ticket office screens to provide more assistance to passengers across stations, where help is most needed.
The independent passenger bodies, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, published their response to the train operator proposals on ticket offices on 31 October, objecting to all closures. Throughout the industry-led process, the Government have been clear that any changes must deliver the highest quality of service for all users of the railway. The Department for Transport also engaged with accessibility groups throughout this process and listened carefully to passengers and what parliamentarians had to say.
The proposals that have resulted from the consultation process do not meet the high thresholds set by Ministers, and so the Government have asked train operating companies to withdraw their proposals and for no ticket offices to close.
Government will continue to invest in modernising and reforming the railways with the expansion of pay-as-you-go ticketing, making more stations accessible through our Access for All programme, and £350 million funding through our Network North plan to improve accessibility at up to 100 stations.