WESTMORLAND MP ARGUES FOR TICKET OFFICES TO BE KEPT OPEN

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has today in parliament called for staffed ticket offices at railway stations to stay open.

Tim said: "A great concern for me is that we potentially stand to lose railway station ticket offices at Grange, Appleby, and at Windermere." Tim's concerns are that not only will rail travel become less attractive for passengers but that certain rural communities rely on this connection as mobile ticket services are not accessible for all.

There are fears that stations up and down the country could be closed. According to the RMT, who launched a campaign last year to keep the offices open and staffed, the move will disproportionately disadvantage disabled, vulnerable, and elderly passengers.

Tim raised this point during a debate on the decarbonisation of rural transport and how important 'Transport Hubs' are; one stop shops for alighting onto other forms of public transport such as bikes and buses which would be beneficial in the Lake District during the busy tourist seasons. He said: "They would be great places to have such hubs, wouldn't they? And therefore, isn't that a good argument for making sure we are maintain fully staffed railway stations in rural communities."