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.

Knaresborough Train Station

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.”

Two girls have been arrested for trespassing on the railway at Harrogate Station and racially abusing a member of staff.

British Transport Police confirmed officers attended the station at 8pm on Monday, May 15, to reports of two teenagers on the track.

The girls, aged 14 and 16, were arrested on suspicion of trespassing and racially abusing a member of staff.

A British Transport Police spokesperson told the Stray Ferret that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

In response to the incident, Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern, said:

“Last month, two females climbed a security fence from a car park adjoining the railway at Harrogate station and trespassed on the tracks.

“During our attempts to remove the women from what is a very dangerous environment, they gave verbal abuse and made racist remarks towards a member of Northern staff.

“This kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable and the matter was referred to British Transport Police.”

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The incident has raised questions about safety after Northern was reported to be planning to remove staff from the ticket gate at the station.

Andrew Whitworth, vice-chairman of the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said:

“I think the point about the safety benefit of an extra pair of eyes on what is the busiest platform is a very good additional argument for keeping staff there.

“It is of course a busy exit – used by people living on that side of town, by car park users and people who use it as a drop off point (eg taxis are often called there, especially as it’s the main platform for London trains).

“Meanwhile Northern said they were setting barriers to reject any ticket which had been bought with a railcard so that the railcard could be checked – to then remove staff from the barriers would create a lot of inconvenience.

“Northern have argued that closing ticket offices would lead to more staff available to help customers on the platforms – this proposal suggests that they are intent on removing staff everywhere.”

Northern has not commented on the reports that it is considering removing staff from barriers. It also did not respond to questions about the safety implications of removing ticket staff after the incident on May 15.

An office for hire will open at Harrogate train station today.

Sheffield-based Workfromhub has designed the facility to create private working space for an “ever growing remote workforce”.

The start-up company has already introduced hubs in Sheffield and Swinton in Rotherham.

The hub will be available for a flat fee of £11.99 per hour.

Neal Byers, founder of Workfromhub, said:

“We are working closely with Northern Rail to help transform underused spaces within stations. We can see the need for people who are on the move to have somewhere private and connected to work from.

“We feel that there are not enough remote working private spaces around to keep up with the demand of a growing remote workforce.”

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People can access the hub by downloading the Workfromhub app and booking a time or filling in a form on the company’s website.

Those who book will receive a code to enter the facility for their allocated time.

The facilities include space for two people along with internet access, a second screen and desk space.

For more information on the hub, visit the Workfromhub website.

A picket line operated at Harrogate Rail Station this morning as the latest wave of strikes by the RMT union draws to a close.

Union members are expected to picket the station again tomorrow before trains begin to run a limited service on Sunday.

No further strikes are currently planned and normal service is due to resume on the Harrogate and Knaresborough line on Monday for the first time in more than three weeks due to strikes, an overtime ban and bank holidays.

Pickets told the Stray Ferret the main reasons they were striking were concerns over passenger safety and working conditions, rather than pay.

An RMT member at Harrogate station today.

They said ticket offices faced closure and safety would be compromised by cuts to staff unless they took action.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said “it’s time for the unions to get off the picket line and back round the table” and claimed he has “delivered new, improved pay and reform offers”.

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One million train tickets, including services from Harrogate and Knaresborough, have been made available by Northern for just £1.

The tickets were released at 10am this morning as part of a “flash sale” promotion. They are being sold on a first come, first served basis and are spread over Northern’s almost 2,000 daily services to more than 500 stations.

People can buy the tickets online – on Northern’s website or its app – and tickets must be purchased at least seven days in advance of travel.

They must be for journeys taking place between Tuesday, September 6 and Thursday, October 20.

Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern, said:

“This is our way of helping to extend the summer holiday feeling by a further six weeks – getting people through until the start of the October half term.

“Whether it’s for a weekend in the historic city of Chester, a night out in Newcastle; a day at the seaside in Scarborough or a walking holiday in the Lake District – these fares will get you where you want to be for less.”

Between 5% and 10% of its service capacity will be available at the discounted rate.

However, some peak services are excluded from the deal, as are services to events that the train operator already predicts will be busy.

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Rail services in Harrogate and Knaresborough will be severely affected by a second day of strike action today.

Only about 10% of services are expected to operate on the line between York and Leeds.

Rail operator Northern is expected to be among the worst affected by today’s industrial action by the RMT union.

A third strike is expected on Saturday.

People hoping to travel by train to the first day of the England vs New Zealand Test match at Headingley will be among those affected.

Harrogate station has been largely deserted for the last two days.

Many services ran yesterday but passengers had heeded warnings not to travel.

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

“We are very concerned that this unnecessary national rail strike will risk driving people away from rail and thereby undermine and set back rail’s steady recovery from the pandemic.

“We express deep regret and concern given the uncertainty the industry and its consumers face following the effects of covid on passenger numbers.

“We ask management and government to get talking to the unions resolve things and for everyone to avoid further aggravating tensions by making hostile or critical comments. We urge the union to be more considerate of the impact on passengers of all categories.”

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A statement by Northern said:

“Customer safety is our priority, we advise you not to travel between Tuesday 21 and Sunday 26 June and make alternative plans.

“There will be no replacement buses or alternative travel provided.”

Northern is to cancel the 6.07am train service from Harrogate to Leeds due to declining passenger numbers since the pandemic began.

The 6.07am, which is the first service of the day, arrives at Leeds Station at 6.44am. It is also used by business travellers to get to London King’s Cross before 9am.

The change will come into effect from May 15.

A Northern/LNER service, which goes to London via York and leaves Harrogate at 6.41am and arrives at King’s Cross at 9.36am, will remain on the timetable.

There is a direct LNER train from Harrogate to London at 7.36am but it doesn’t arrive in the capital until 10.32am.

LNER has delayed plans to introduce an earlier direct service that leaves Harrogate at 6.35am due to rolling stock issues.

‘We need it’

With the 6.07am service withdrawn, it means the earliest Harrogate commuters will be able to get into Leeds by train from Monday to Friday will be the 6.56 train, which arrives at 7.28am.

Brian Dunsby, of Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said passenger numbers were back to around 80% of pre-pandemic levels and the early service was needed by commuters.

He called the move by Northern ‘disgraceful’ and urged the state-owned operator to reconsider.

He said:

“The service is particularly important for anyone going down to London for a 9am start.

“They could cancel the 6.56am or the 7.14am instead. That 6.07 is very important. It’s the first train of the day and we need it.”

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A spokesperson for Northern said:

“We fully understand the concerns of those using our trains in West Yorkshire and we are doing all we can to provide the best possible service for our customers who are very much at the heart of everything we do.”

“We’re seeing fewer commuters travelling each day, and people travelling at different times of the week and for different reasons. We’ve made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resource we have available and prioritising the routes with the highest customer demand, and which support the region’s economic growth.

“The timetables currently in place will broadly continue with some amendments from May 2022 and into the summer.”

All Northern train station ticket machines, including at Harrogate and Knaresborough stations, are down after being subject to a suspected ransomware cyber-attack.

A ransomware attack occurs when malicious software is used to block access to a system until a ransom sum of money is paid.

The rail operator said no customer or payment data had been compromised and that customers could still buy tickets online.

There is no timescale for when the machines may be working again but Northern said it would try to fix the problem “as soon as possible”.

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A spokesperson for Northern said:

“Last week we experienced technical difficulties with our self-service ticket machines, which meant all have had to be taken off-line.

“This is the subject of an ongoing investigation with our supplier, but indications are that the ticket machine service has been subject to a ransomware cyber-attack.

“Working with the supplier, we took swift action and the incident has only affected the servers which operate the ticket machines. Customer and payment data has not been compromised.

“We are working to restore normal operation to our ticket machines as soon as possible. We are sorry for any inconvenience this incident causes and, in the meantime, are advising customers to either use Northern’s mobile app or website to purchase tickets in advance and, where necessary, to collect those from one of our ticket offices. Of course, those offices can also be used to buy tickets.

“Customers who have already bought tickets to be collected at a machine, or who would normally use ‘promise to pay’ slips, should board their booked service and either speak to the conductor or to Northern staff at their destination station.”

Commuters in Harrogate have reacted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pledge to ‘build better railways’. 

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, in his first Budget announcement, made the pledge to spend billions of pounds on road and rail projects as part of a proposed £600 billion infrastructure programme. 

Although there was no specific announcement yesterday as to where the money will be spent, long-suffering passengers at Harrogate Railway Station were clear about where they feel the government should prioritise.

Jerome Morrow (pictured above) who regularly travels between Harrogate and Leeds, said

 “The trains themselves have improved, but too few carriages are put on and at peak times that leads to overcrowding and an uncomfortable journey.  

“Compared with London, we have a lot of catching up to do in the north. We are paying the same fares for an inferior service and investment should be made in the provision of more carriages.” 

York University sociology student Kate McWhirter

For York University sociology student, Kate McWhirter, who was in Harrogate to meet friends, the issue is lack of communication:

 “On four separate occasions recently, I was waiting for trains that were suddenly cancelled with no reason given for the cancellation and left wondering if the ticket I had was valid on another train. They need to spend the money on better communications.” 

The Harrogate line has recently had national attention with the Sunday Times reporting at the weekend that the 07:13 Harrogate to Leeds service being “the most cancelled in the UK”.  Northern Rail, which had operated the line, lost its franchise at the beginning of this month and the service is now in government control.