DEFEND TICKET OFFICES!

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march/april 2025 :: RMTnews 4 O pen access rail services, such as Lumo and Grand Central, are run by private operators outside of any contractual relationship with the government with the sole intention of making profits. As rail renationalisation gathers pace under the proposals to create Great British Railways (GBR), private open access operators such as First Group and Arriva have ramped up their lobbying. Recent months have seen an influx of applications to the rail regulator ORR for new open access rail services. Currently the ORR decides on open access applications. Unlike government contracted operators, open access operators benefit from a large indirect subsidy in the form of low to no fixed track access charges, meaning that they do not contribute to the long-term maintenance of the railway. They also abstract significant amounts of money from the publicly funded operations, ‘cherry pick’ profitable routes, and increase the fragmentation and profiteering that the government has been seeking to do away with. The government seems to share some of these concerns as recently the Secretary of State wrote to the ORR regarding open access applications stating that “we need to be mindful of the impacts of open access such as the level of revenue they can abstract from contracted services and the associated implications for passengers and taxpayers”. The Department for Transport has since formally objected to eight of the nine open access applications sitting with the ORR awaiting a decision. This is a notable shift from the previous government’s position which had sought to expand the role of open access. You can read RMT’s full briefing on why open access is incompatible with the government’s rail policy using the QR code above. New RMT analysis has revealed that Southeastern, the rail operator owned by the Department for Transport (DfT), is routinely failing to meet its obligations to keep ticket offices open during advertised hours. RMT also demanded the Scottish government halts ScotRail’s proposed cuts at up to 100 ticket offices. In a joint letter with campaigning organisations, the union outlined how these plans will worsen accessibility, safety, and service for passengers across Scotland. ScotRail is pushing ahead with these cuts despite 98 per cent of public consultation respondents opposing them. The move would remove the guarantee of station staffing, leaving many passengers—particularly disabled and elderly travellers—without vital assistance. Women’s safety will also be compromised, as Scottish government research confirms that passengers feel safer at staffed stations. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that ScotRail’s reckless plan would cut off vital support for passengers, particularly disabled and vulnerable travellers. "Ticket offices are more than just places to buy tickets—they are lifelines for accessibility, safety, and service quality,” he said. SOUTHEASTERN Data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that over an eight-month period (June 2024 to January 2025), Southeastern’s ticket offices were closed for around 70,000 hours when they should have been open, equivalent to approximately 2,900 days. As a result: • At five stations, ticket offices were open for only one per cent or fewer of their advertised hours. • 17 ticket offices in total were closed for at least 50 per cent of their scheduled hours. • 46 ticket offices were shut for at least a third of their advertised hours. The union believes that these failings were part of a deliberate attempt to reduce reliance on ticket offices, despite the unprecedented opposition to proposed closures during the 2023 consultation. The closures disproportionately affect disabled and elderly passengers, as well as those who depend on staffed ticket offices to travel safely. Eddie Dempsey said that the findings revealed a shocking picture of failing to open ticket offices as advertised which was a clear breach of Southeastern’s obligations. “Passengers, particularly those who are elderly, disabled, or less able to navigate unstaffed stations, are being left without the support they need and will potentially be put off from using the railway altogether. “The government must step in now to protect ticket offices and ensure Southeastern is held to account,” he said. DEFEND TICKET OFFICES! Union calls for government to protect ticket offices across the country OPEN ACCESS HITTING THE BUFFERS?