Plan could see station closed at weekends (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Plan could see station closed at weekends

5:00pm Sunday 7th March 2010 in

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WHITCHURCH station ticket office could close all weekend in new proposals from South West Trains.

Passengers have 21 days to comment on the plans, which include cutting the opening hours of 15 ticket offices outside London.Whitchurch ticket office is open on a Saturday between 6am and 10.25am, but if the changes go ahead, it would be closed all day.

Whitchurch town Mayor Councillor Vince Bradbury said it was another facility being cut back.

He added: “We have just lost our bank and now this. It will kill our town when we are trying to build it up. There’s a ticket machine there but not everyone likes to use new technology.

"We have a large elderly population and they like face-to-face contact. They might need help working out what the cheapest fare is because it can be quite difficult and many people like to be able to speak to someone.”

The official independent passenger watchdog, Passenger Focus, is urging train users to get in contact and give their views on the changes.

Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director said: “This will ensure that we can give a full response to South West Trains on the likely impact of their changes.

"Our research shows that almost a fifth of passengers don’t want to use ticket machines and passengers travelling in groups, particularly families with children, need advice on how to buy the cheapest tickets available. We are also worried that reduced ticket office opening hours will also mean the closure of waiting rooms and toilet facilities.”

Ian Johnston, Customer Service Director for South West Trains said research showed more than 50 per cent of customers now chose to purchase tickets through vending machines, over the phone or on the Internet.

He added: “It makes sense to continue to review our opening hours at some stations to ensure they match demand and reflect the way people now prefer to pay for their rail travel.”

Passengers can comment on the proposals at passengerfocus.org.uk, by calling 0300 123 2350 or writing to Freepost RRRE-ETTC-LEET, PO Box 4257, Manchester, M60 3AR.