Railway ticket office closure U-turn hailed as a 'victory for good sense' by Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor Dr Nik Johnson has celebrated the decision of the transport secretary to ask train operators to drop the proposals close ticket offices across the country.

Mayor Johnson backed legal action that opposed the changes that would have seen hundreds of railway ticket offices across the country closed.

LNER had announced its intention to keep the Peterborough office open but nearby stations including March, Stamford, Spalding and Oakham all faced closure.

The consultation to the changes drew around 750,000 responses and plans also drew vigorous opposition from rail union TSSA.

On Tuesday (October 31), the transport secretary announced that the government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals, criticised by many as cost-cutting rather than customer-serving.

Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson: “This is a victory for fairness and good sense over a poorly thought out idea that punished the most vulnerable and was a bad thing for all rail travellers.

"I’ve said from the outset that staffed and accessible ticket offices are an essential, non-negotiable part of the rail system and must be treated as such.

“The Combined Authority put in a robust objection to these proposals and to the rushed, inadequate consultation process underpinning them.

"I am delighted that the campaign - by thousands of individuals, groups, local and regional political leaders like the Metro Mayors, age and disability activists, and charities - has been heard and the train operators have been told to reconsider by the Transport Secretary.

“Our work in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is about improving public transport for people and to shut down the ticket offices that make travel easier and safer would do the opposite.

"This proposal must not be allowed to creep back in the future. Stations without ticket offices could become no-go areas for many, excluding older or less mobile people who require in-person support, and denying access to those who can’t buy their tickets online.

“The whole idea was discriminatory and chucking it out is a victory for the customer, for the community, and even for commercial common sense.”

As part of his campaign against the changes, the mayor met Royal National Institute for Blind People campaigners and hosted a round table for accessible transport campaigners, with invitees including the Royal National Institute of Blind People, to explore what is required to create a truly inclusive public transport system for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough area.