Combined authority mayors from across England have written to train operators setting out their intended legal action against plans to close the majority of manned ticket offices across the rail network, including all in Stockport.
On Friday, rail operators were given seven days notice of legal action that would be taken if the consultation on the plans was not halted.
On 5 July, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced that the public would have just 21 days to have their say on plans to close almost all of the 1,007 remaining ticket offices in the country. Plans include the closure of manned ticket offices in Stockport Railway Station in the town centre, as well as in all local stations throughout the borough, with major hubs such as Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston also affected.
On 18th July, Mayors representing combined authorities across England announced plans to take action against a number of rail operators (of which TransPennine Express, Northern Trains, EMR and Avanti West Coast serve stations in Stockport), arguing that the type of consultation being used is inappropriate, and have failed to adequately consider the disproportionate impact of ticket office closures on the most vulnerable parts of society.
Four regional mayors, including Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, have now sent pre-action protocol letters to operators. Letters establish how they believe rail operators have not met requirements for closing part of a station set out under Section 29 of the Railway Act 2005, which includes a detailed process with a 12-week consultation. Mayors of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool City-region have also issued pre-action protocol letters, with Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority expected to also issue a pre-action letter today (24th July).
As part of their case for closures, the RDG have stated that 12 per cent of rail ticket transactions are done at ticket offices – which is in reality still 60 million ticket sales per year. In Greater Manchester, 16 per cent of tickets are sold from ticket offices, a higher figure than the national average. This disparity is also reflected in the fact that nationally, one in every eight tickets is sold at a ticket office whereas the figure across Northern stations is one in every six. Of the 191 ticket offices in the North, 165 are due to close.
The proposals would also see station staffing reduced by over 250 jobs by Northern Trains alone.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said:
“This consultation is shambolic and totally inadequate and our letter sets out how we will challenge it legally if it is not halted and reviewed now.
“The Government and Train Operating Companies know what they are doing here, they are trying to dress up staff reductions and cost cutting as ‘improvements to customer service’. What’s worse is they are trying to railroad this through by way of a chaotic consultation – that is why we have come together with this legal challenge to suspend the process immediately.
“These closures will impact the most vulnerable in our society, including older and disabled people, and to give them just 21 days to feedback when they are less likely to have internet access, is outrageous. It is clear to us that they are not adhering to the law set out in Railways Act 2005 and we will fight this all the way.
“These plans represent the complete destruction of our rail services. They are trying to close almost every ticket office when services in the north are the most unreliable they have ever been, but prices are still through the roof. It’s almost as if they are trying to drive people away from rail and we are not going to stand for this.”
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