RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2016 :: RMTnews 7 F ollowing a massive RMT-led campaign the board of London TravelWatch have opposed all of Govia Thameslink Railways proposals to shut or change opening hours at ticket offices in London. GTR’s proposals would have seen ticket office closures at 41 stations in the London TravelWatch area and reducing the hours at a further 14 stations. Thousands of passengers sent in RMT postcards in opposition to the proposals. The union also made direct representations in writing and at the Board meeting. The union welcomed the reprieve for the ticket offices and is seeking urgent clarification as to what the next steps were and also what the decision of Transport Focus is for the 28 non-London Ticket offices. RMT has made clear that in light of the decision by London Travel Watch, GTR should drop what the union has called unworkable, unsafe and unpopular proposals. The union has also made it clear that the fight goes on and will not stop until the whole closure plan is scrapped. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that public campaigning, led by RMT, had secured a massive victory in the on-going fight to stop ticket office closures. “However we still have a long way to go and we must keep the pressure on and Govia Thameslink must now drop the whole ill-conceived plan on all routes both inside and outside the London area. “These plans are driven by the desire to de-staff our railways in the quest for profit and would unleash a wave of ticket office carnage across rail franchises that are already seen as the basket-cases of Britain’s privatised railway network.# “It is clear that Govia couldn’t give two hoots about passenger services, jobs and safety and are prepared to milk these routes for every single penny that they can extract regardless of what the travelling public think of them. “The voice of staff and the travelling public has rung out loud and clear through the RMT campaign and the fight to scrap the whole programme of 83 ticket office downgrades and closures continues,” he said. CLOSING? KEEP YOUR STATION TICKET OFFICE Angmering Barnham Bexhill Bognor Regis Burgess Hill Chichester Crawley Eastbourne East Grinstead Falmer Hassocks Hitchin Horsham Hove OPEN Huntingdon King’s Lynn Lancing Letchworth Garden City Lewes Littlehampton Polegate Portslade Reigate Royston Sandy Shoreham-by-Sea St Neots Worthing CLOSING? KEEP YOUR STATION TICKET OFFICE Alexandra Palace Ashtead Balham Battersea Park Carshalton Carshalton Beeches Caterham City Thameslink (Holborn) City Thameslink (Ludgate Hill) Coulsdon South Cricklewood Denmark Hill Dorking Elstree & Borehamwood Enfield Chase Epsom Flitwick Gipsy Hill Gordon Hill Harpenden Hatfield Hertford North Horley Hornsey Leagrave Leatherhead Loughborough JCT Luton Airport Parkway Merstham Mill Hill Broadway New Barnet Norbury Oxted Palmers Green Peckham Rye Potters Bar Purley OPEN Queens Rd Peckham Radlett Sanderstead Selhurst South Croydon Stevenage Streatham Streatham Common Streatham Hill Sutton Tooting Thornton Heath Tulse Hill Wallington Wandsworth Common Welwyn Garden City West Hampstead West Norwood Winchmore Hill TICKET OFFICE CARNAGE BLOCKED