East Sussex residents sign petition to save local train ticket offices amid plans for mass closures

Rail firms announced plans at the start of July for the mass closure of England’s ticket offices to “modernise” the railway and save costs.

The government-pushed proposals would see train operators shut down almost all of the 1,007 remaining offices, bar at the busiest stations, within three years.

These plans would likely affect ticket offices at Seaford, Newhaven, Lewes, Plumpton and Polegate. In response, the Lewes Liberal Democrats started a petition to stop these plans and save these local ticket offices.

James MacCleary, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for the Lewes constituency, said: "We've already had hundreds of people sign our local petition and we will be outside local train stations in the coming days talking to people about the closures. We have seen public transport in the country go backwards in recent years.

"Our rail network has not had the investment it needs and the rail operators are not providing value for money for passengers."

The Lib Dems say rail ticket offices are a lifeline for a number of passengers, particularly those who are elderly or disabled.

Mr MacCleary continued: "I think what really makes people angry here is that we know that this is just about money and that neither the government or the rail companies care at all about us as passengers. If this goes ahead we all know that the government will be waving through another fare increase within months. Once again we'll have a reduced service at a higher cost.

The Conservative government claim only around one in 10 transactions occurred at a ticket office in 2022/23, with the vast majority now being sold online or via ticket machines.

The Tories also state that the proposals include plans for moving staff from behind the ticket office screens to more visible and accessible roles around stations.

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Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has urged local commuters to take part in a consultation on the proposals regarding rail ticket office closures.

Ms Ghani, a former government transport secretary, said: “Train travel is a key form of transport for Wealden residents. I am constantly campaigning for its improvements locally and I am pleased to have secured multi-million-pound accessibility improvements to both Crowborough and Eridge stations, which have now been completed. I appreciate that the way people buy tickets have changed and this needs to be reflected in service provision at train stations.

"I understand that no station that is currently staffed would become unstaffed as a result of these changes and staff will be present to provide in-person assistance and accessibility support to those who cannot or do not want to use contactless or mobile tickets.

"However, I am also aware that mobile phone network provision, which is crucial to purchasing tickets online needs improvement at some of our remote train stations such as Eridge, and I am keen to hear the views of Wealden commuters on how their journeys might be impacted by the proposed changes.

“Then I can put further pressure on providers to enhance coverage at stations and ensure that anyone using the rail network in Wealden can request additional assistance via their phone.”

The consultation, led by Transport Focus, is open until Wednesday 26th July and can be accessed here

To find out more about the Lid Dem petition click here