Railways: Tickets

(asked on 11th July 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of railway station ticket office closures on people with disabilities; and what steps he is taking to mitigate the potential impact of railway station ticket office closures on people with disabilities.


Answered by
Huw Merriman Portrait
Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This question was answered on 19th July 2023

When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider other equality related needs and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups. The Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Together with the industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.

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