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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2011 :: RMTnews
5
A
fter receiving more than
18,000 letters, postcards
and petitions from passengers
opposing London Midland plans
to cut its ticket office opening
hours at 87 stations, Passenger
Focus has lodged a formal
objection.
The independent passenger
watchdog received petitions
with more than 14,500
signatures, including 3, 271 pre-
paid RMT postcards from across
the region and almost 100
letters from passengers in
Winsford and Hartford alone.
Parliamentarians, rail user
groups, unions and local
government also contacted
Passenger Focus opposing the
closures.
London Midland cuts plan
would axe 122 full time jobs,
slash the opening hours at
around 80 out of 90 ticket
offices and close nine ticket
offices in their entirety.
Regional transport
organisation Centro has already
opposed the planned cuts and
RMT is running a high profile
political and public campaign
aimed at stopping the proposals
in their tracks.
Passenger Focus chief
executive Anthony Smith feared
the plans would lead to
passengers paying more for
their tickets than they should.
“Ticket vending machines are
important, but while they don’t
offer all ticket types or provide
advice to ensure passengers get
the cheapest fares, there will be
a need for station staff.
“Finally, passengers want
staff on hand for help on the
station and for security reasons.
For all these reasons we’re
calling on London Midland to
address the concerns passengers
raised,” he said.
RMT general secretary Bob
Crow welcomed the objections
and said that Passenger Focus
had clearly acted in the
passengers’ interest.
“It would be a travesty if the
government were now to allow
these profit-driven cuts plans to
go ahead.
“RMT congratulates all those
who responded to the formal
consultation calling for the cuts
package to be resisted.
“Their voices should be heard
loud and clear and it would
make a mockery of the
consultation if the plans are not
now scrapped,” he said.
RMT is formally calling on
the Department for Transport to
throw out the proposals and to
consider public ownership to
stop private operators from
milking the service for every
penny of profit they can get out
of it.
NO TO LONDON
MIDLAND CUTS
No to Ticket Office Cuts