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    05

    Jul 2023

    Last Updated: 05/07/2023
    Transport
    Transport

    Harrogate survives mass cull of train station ticket offices

    by Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter

    | 05 Jul, 2023
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    harrogatestation
    Harrogate Train Station pictured this morning as strike action is held.

    Harrogate has been spared in today's announcement that hundreds of train station ticket offices in England will close.

    The Rail Delivery Group, the industry body which represents train companies, proposed the closures of almost 1,000 ticket offices, saying it would move staff to “more face-to-face support for customers”.

    Northern plans to shut 131 ticket offices — but Harrogate, plus others including Blackburn, Blackpool, Leeds and Skipton, will remain open on amended hours.

    Harrogate ticket office will be open from 6am until 6pm Monday to Saturday, as opposed to its current hours of 6.15am until 7pm, and from 9am until 5pm on Sundays.

    Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said the "traditional ticket office is no longer required at most staffed Northern stations" as only one on six journeys were paid for through a ticket office.

    She added:

    "We need to modernise to meet the changing needs of our customers and we are seeking views from the public on these proposals."






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    Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the decision to retain Harrogate ticket office "will be welcome news to passengers who value the ability to buy tickets face-to-face". He added:

    “Rail companies are looking at this as the numbers of people purchasing tickets in person has plummeted with the rise of online booking and user-friendly electronic terminals at stations.  All the plans are subject to consultation."


    Consultation on today's recommendations runs from today until July 28. You can have your say here.


    Brian Dunsby, of the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said:

    “The closure of ticket offices is inevitable.
    “It’s the way the world is going, but Harrogate has largely been spared.”


    Of the stations between York and Leeds on the Harrogate line, Horsforth is earmarked by Northern to have its ticket office closed.



    Other stations, such as Knaresborough, do not have offices and instead have machines for passengers to buy tickets.

    The decision to close ticket offices elsewhere in the country was condemned by trade unions.

    Mick Lynch, general secretary at the RMT, described it as "a savage attack on railway workers, their families and the travelling public", adding:

    "Travellers will be forced to rely on apps and remote mobile teams to be available to assist them rather than having trained staff on stations.
    "This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network."