MP calls on Government to axe plans to close rail ticket offices

On the floor of the House of Commons this afternoon, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron made the case for ticket offices at railway stations to not be closed.

During an Urgent Question on the rail company Avanti, Tim said that poor performance of train operators was down to a lack of staff and this would only be exacerbated by the closure of ticket offices.

According to the RMT, almost 1,000 ticket offices across the country are set to close, including several in Cumbria.

Speaking in Parliament, Tim said: "Will the minister reflect on the fact that one of the reasons there is such low morale amongst rail staff is because of the Government-sanctioned closure of ticket offices.

"Not just on the mainline in Penrith and Oxenholme, but also places like Appleby, Windermere and Grange.

"Will he push Avanti and other rail companies to keep those ticket offices and therefore do something about staff morale and therefore train reliability."

Responding, Rail Minister Kevin Foster said: "We could probably have quite a session in changes on ticket buying patterns that we've seen over recent years where the numbers of people buying tickets at a ticket office have declined very dramatically.

"We're keen that we see staff who are deployed at stations as much outside on the concourse helping and assisting rather than sitting behind a glass screen waiting to sell people a ticket."

Speaking afterwards, Tim said: "Of course more and more people are buying tickets online, but for people who may be elderly, disabled or are visitors to Cumbria, ticket offices can so often perform a vital service.

"We must keep these ticket offices open."