Lower than yr after lobbying towards shorter ticket workplace hours at her native railway station, the transport secretary has hinted that many will shut altogether.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan informed the Conservative convention in Birmingham that she is “ reforming ticket workplace provision”.
She stated solely 12 per cent of rail tickets are at present offered by ticket workplaces, with the rest offered on-line or from machines.
The brand new transport secretary stated there will likely be “some stations” the place a ticket workplace would stay – however that at others employees might be redeployed within the station to assist passengers.
“This isn’t about reducing jobs,” she stated. “That is about placing passengers first.”
The RMT union is campaigning towards ticket workplace closures. On Saturday the final secretary, Mick Lynch, informed The Unbiased: “We can not settle for the closure of all of the ticket workplaces in Britain. That’s what’s on the desk.”
Lower than a yr in the past, Ms Trevelyan campaigned towards plans “to dramatically cut back” ticket workplace hours at Berwick-upon-Tweed – the station serving her constituency.
Managers from the state-run prepare operator, LNER, met her to debate the proposals.
On her constituency web site, she wrote: “I used to be grateful to the LNER crew for taking the time to fulfill me right this moment, and for listening to me out.
“They took time to take heed to the issues of Berwick passengers, and I defined why it’s so vital to have entry to ticket employees, particularly for extra aged or weak passengers.
“They promised me they might take my issues into consideration, and hold me knowledgeable of how the session progresses.”
Earlier than Ms Trevelyan’s speech on the convention in Birmingham, a Division for Transport (DfT) spokesperson stated: “No last determination has been taken on ticket workplaces.
“Station employees are important for passengers’ security and passengers will at all times profit from face-to-face help at prepare stations.
“The fact is ticket workplaces have seen a major decline in use over the past decade, and by making station employees extra adaptable we could have a greater railway for passengers and taxpayers.”
The transport secretary stated she had campaigned for years for the dualling of the A1 trunk highway by her constituency, and that the venture can be accelerated. She additionally promised swift enhancements to the A303 hyperlink by Wiltshire.
“The A303 acts as a bottleneck to progress,” she stated.
Ms Trevelyan earned her longest spherical of applause for saying: “Now we have put aside a pothole fund to restore 10 million potholes a yr.”
She was talking on the eve of one other nationwide rail strike. Practice drivers belonging to Aslef who work for 13 rail companies, together with LNER, Avanti West Coast and Northern, are strolling out all day on Wednesday in a dispute over pay,
The RMT has referred to as one other nationwide strike for Saturday 8 October.
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