Railway Ticket Offices – Railfuture responds: ‘But what happens next – will it be a pyrrhic victory??’
Responding to today’s events, Neil Middleton, Railfuture Director leading on Fares and Ticketing commented:
“The headline is good news – but there’s a big sting in the tail – what will really happen next? Despite the Government’s claim that they were industry proposals, the reality is that they weren’t – they were train operators implementing very detailed instructions.
“Above all, we hope that the Government will now not instruct that money is to be taken from elsewhere on the railway to fund the cost of continuing with the current ticket office arrangements. That would be a very Pyrrhic victory for passengers and campaigners.
“We really hope the government remembers that the best way to reduce Taxpayer contributions is to grow the fare box – but a reliable, welcoming railway with services that encourage passengers to travel underpins that.
“Despite the flawed nature of the proposals, those 750,000 responses – and the analysis by Travel Focus and London TravelWatch – contain a wealth of information about what passengers, particularly those who need help to travel by train, want and need to travel successfully. It is essential that data is used effectively in planning the future of the railway.
“Fares reform remains essential. A new structure is required that is logical, understandable (to the average traveller) and a coherent whole. Simplification is often mapped to there being just a few fares – whilst a very considerable reduction (from 2,822 ticket types on National Rail, with 901 names and 665 restriction codes) is essential, the number that remain is less important than they make sense and the trade-offs between price, time of travel and flexibility are coherent”.
[Notes to editors:]
Note 1: Modern Railways Expo, 23 November 2022, Milton Keynes: 2,822 ticket types on National Rail, with 901 names and 665 restriction codes.
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Website article on fares reform: www.railfuture.org.uk/article1884-Fares-after-Covid
Our submissions to Transport Focus and London TravelWatch: www.railfuture.org.uk/Ticket-Offices
Our 29 October press release “Rail ticket office closures – Railfuture sets out its hopes for Tuesday”: www.railfuture.org.uk/Press-Release-12th-July-2023
Our 12 July press release “The Ticket Office consultation is a mess – 101 unanswered questions with two weeks to go to comment”: www.railfuture.org.uk/Press-Release-12th-July-2023
Our 2 July press release “Ticket Office closures - Penny wise, Pound foolish”: www.railfuture.org.uk/Press-release-2nd-July-2023
Railfuture is the UK's leading independent organisation campaigning for better rail services for both passengers and freight.
Railfuture's website can be found at: www.railfuture.org.uk
Follow Railfuture on Twitter: []twitter.com/Railfuture
For further information and comment please contact:
Bruce Williamson, media spokesman
Tel: 0117 927 2954 Mobile: 07759 557389
media@railfuture.org.uk
Neil Middleton, Director
Mobile: 07887 628367
neil.middleton@railfuture.org.uk