STATIONS EARMARKED by South West Trains for ticket-office closures have seen an increase in passengers going through their doors of nearly 27 per cent in the last year, Britain's biggest rail union reveals today.

Analysis by RMT of official figures shows that 114 SWT stations threatened with cuts and closures have between them had more than 18 million more 'entries and exits' by passengers in the last year - up from just over 68 million to well over 86 million.

Details of the proposed cuts, which RMT has pledged to resist, also reveal that there will be a dramatic increase in stations that will lose their ticket offices entirely during weekends -while SWT's parent group, Stagecoach, is anticipating a huge jump in profits.

"The dramatic increase in passengers suggests that SWT should be increasing the number of staff on stations, not cutting them," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today at the union's annual conference in Nottingham.

"The city is expecting the Stagecoach group to register another substantial increase in profits and it is quite clear that the group is putting its profit before the people it is supposed to serve.

"SWT's planned cuts would leave stations unstaffed, particularly at weekends, but also at night and that will only make railway stations and the passengers who use them less secure.

"CCTV has its uses, but it is no substitute for the presence of trained uniformed staff.

"For our members this is an attack on up to 140 jobs, and for SWT's passengers it is an attack on their service and safety, and it is in all our interests to tell the company that these cuts are unacceptable," Bob Crow said

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For further information please contact Derek Kotz on 07939 595 092

Notes to editors:

Profit before People - South West Trains Ticket Office Closures

* Table 1 below shows that South West Trains is closing or cutting ticket office hours at stations which in the last year have seen an increase of almost 27 percent in 'passenger entries and exits'.
* In the last year station passenger 'entries and exits' at the affected stations have risen from 68,013,374to 86,282,884, an increase of 18,269510.
* Details of the worst-affected stations and the days and times the closures will bite are attached. The result will be a massive expansion of stations that will close completely on Saturday and Sunday and earlier week day closing.
* The closures will leave stations unstaffed, heightening passenger security concerns particularly where there are evening closures.
* Regular customers and commuters who purchase their tickets for the following week at the weekend will suddenly find that their ticket office is no longer open, causing not only inconvenience but also longer queues during peak time.
* Weekend closures will disproportionately hit those who use trains for leisure and visits to friends and family
* The replacement of staff with machines will increase instances of passengers travelling without tickets either because they could not use the machines, or the machines were faulty.
* It is not clear where the proposed automatic ticket machines will be able to offer the full range of tickets currently provided by staffed ticket offices such as group-save tickets or add-ons to existing tickets or refunds for tickets not used on the day due to rail disruptions or cancelled trains.
* Stagecoach, which owns South West Trains, is expected a substantial increase in profits later this week.

Table 1 (pdf file)
Download file

Table 2 - Stations most hit by SWT's proposed ticket-office cuts

Of the 114 stations listed for cuts and closures (out of a total of 145) those below are the worst affected. Only six of these have no change to their weekday open/closing times and only three no change to Saturday open/closing times, and none have no changes to Sunday times.

ADDLESTONE Currently open sat. closed sun. proposed: closed both days. Mon-Fri. currently open 06.30-13.25 proposed: closes at 10.00

ALTON Currently open Mon-Fri. 06.30 - 20.30 Sat.06.40 -20.15 Sun 07.00 - 18.00. Proposed: Mon- Fri.06.30 -19.00 Sat 08.00-17.30 Sun 08.30 - 16.00.

ANDOVER Sun. Currently open 08.10 - 20.45 Proposed: close 4hrs earlier.

ASH Proposed: closed on sat as well as sun.

ASH VALE Proposed closed on sun.

ASHFORD (SURREY) Proposed closed on sun. and the mon.-fri. service close at 13.25 instead of 20.05

AXMINSTER Proposed closed on a sun. and the mon-fri. service to end 13.05 instead of 20.30 and sat. service to end at 13.05 instead of 20.20

BAGSHOT Proposed to close close sat. as well as sunday

BARNES Proposed to close close on sun.

BEDHAMPTON Proposed to close close on sat. and sun. the weekday service to end at 09.45 as opposed to 13.55

BERRYLANDS Proposed to close close on sat. as well as sun.

BOOKHAM Propose close sat. as well as sun. week day service to end at 10.00 instead of 13.30

BRANKSOME Proposed to close closed sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 10.00 instead of 13.20

BROOKWOOD Proposed to close close sun. weekday service to end at 13.00 instead of 20.15

BYFLEET & NEW HAW Proposed to close close on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.30 instead of 13.00

CAMBERLEY Proposed to close close on sun. weekday service to end at 13.25 instead of 19.50 and sat. to close at 13.00 instead of 19.05

CHANDLERS FORD Proposed to close close on sun.

CHESSINGTON SOUTH Proposed to close close on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.00 instead of 14.18

CLANDON Proposed to close on sat. as well as sun.

CREWKERNE Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 13.05 instead of 18.00

DATCHET Proposed to close on sat. as well as sun.

EARLEY Proposed to close on sun. weekday service to end at 13.25 instead of 21.00

EFFINGHAM JUNCTION Proposed to close on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.10 instead of 13.25

ESHER Proposed to close on sun. weekday service to end at 18.00 instead of 21.00

EWELL WEST Proposed to be closed on sun.

FARNCOMBE Proposed to be closed on sun. weekend service to close at 13.00 instead of 19.55. sat. service to end at 13.00 instead of 19.55.

FENITON Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 11.30 instead of 22.00

FRIMLEY Proposed to be close on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.30 instead of 13.05

FULWELL Proposed to be closed on sat. as well as sunday weekday service to end at 10.00 instead of 14.00

GILLINGHAM (DORSET) Proposed to be closed on sun. weekday service to end at 17.30 instead of 20.45 sat. service to end at 12.45 instead of 21.50

HAMPTON Proposed to be closed on sun. weekend service to end at 11.00 instead of 20.30 sat. service to end at 13.30 instead of 21.00

HAMPTON COURT Proposed to close on a sun.

HAMWORTHY Proposed to close on a sat. as well as sun.

HEDGE END Proposed to close on sun.

HERSHAM Proposed to close on sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 10.30 instead of 13.40

HINCHLEY WOOD Proposed to close on a sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.10 instead of 13.25

HONITON Proposed to close on sun. weekday service to end at 15.15 instead of 19.45 and sat. service to end at 13.15 instead of 20.00

HOOK Proposed to close on a sun.

LIPHOOK Proposed to close on a sun. weekend service to end at 17.35 instead of 20.00 and sat. service to end at 13.00 instead of 20.00

LISS Proposed to close on sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 11.10 instead of 19.55

LONDON ROAD (GUILDFORD) Proposed to close on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.00 instead of 13.35

MALDEN MANOR Proposed to close on a sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.20 instead of 13.50

MARTINS HERON Proposed to close on a sun. weekday service to end at 13.25 instead of 20.20

MILFORD Proposed to be closed on a sat. as well as sun.

MOTSPUR PARK Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun.

NETLEY Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun.

POKESDOWN Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 11.30 instead of 20.15

PORCHESTER Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun.

SHEPPERTON Proposed to be closed on sun. weekday service to end at 12.00 instead of 17.30 and sat.

SHERBOURNE Proposed to close on sun. sat. service to end at 13.30 instead of 21.00

ST DENYS Proposed to close on sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 10.45 instead of 13.30

STONELEIGH Proposed to close on sun.

STRAWBERRY HILL Proposed to close on sun.

SUNNINGDALE Proposed to close on sun. sat. service to end at 13.30 instead of 20.15

SWANWICK Proposed to close on sun. sat. service to end at 14.00 instead of 18.55

SWAYTHLING Proposed to close on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 11.00 instead of 13.45

TEMPLECOMBE Proposed to be closed on sun. weekday service to end at 18.30 instead of 22.00 sat service end at 12.35 instead of 21.30

THAMES DITTON Proposed to close on sat. as well as sun.

TISBURY Proposed to close on sat. and sun. weekday service to end at 12.05 instead of 17.25

UPPER HALLIFORD Proposed to close on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.00 instead of 13.30

VIRGINIA WATER Proposed to close on sun. weekday service to end at 17.45 instead of 20.00 sat. service to end at 13.30 instead of 20.50

WANDSWORTH TOWN Proposed to be closed on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.30 instead of 13.55

WAREHAM Proposed to be closed on sun.

WEST BYFLEET weekday service to end at 13.00 instead of 20.00, sat. service to end at 13.00 instead of 20.00, sun. service to end at 13.00 instead of 16.40

WHITCHURCH (HAMPSHIRE) Proposed to be closed on sat. as well as sun.

WINCHFIELD Proposed to be closed on sun.

WINNERSH Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun.

WINNERSH TRIANGLE Proposed to be closed on sat. as well as sun. weekday service to end at 10.00 instead of 13.20

WITLEY Proposed to be closed on sat. as well as sun.

WOOLSTON Proposed to be closed on sat. and sun.

See also:

NUMBERS USING STATION GO UP

Exeter Express & Echo: 24 June 2008

Plans to cut staffing hours at Honiton railway station's ticket office have been drawn up despite a rise in passenger numbers, it has been revealed.

The number of passengers entering and leaving the station on the Exeter-London Waterloo line rose by 11,499 to 263,627 between 2005-06 and 2006-07, according to figures taken from the Office of Rail Regulation and published by rail union the RMT.As the Echo has previously reported, South West Trains is planning to reduce opening hours at the ticket office, leaving passengers to use machines instead.

Honiton Chamber of Commerce has criticised the move which involves the ticket office being closed all day on Sunday and at 3.15pm instead of 7.45pm on weekdays and at 1.15pm instead of 8pm on Saturdays.

The RMT said its analysis of official figures showed 114 SWT stations threatened with cuts and closures have between them had more than 18 million more entries and exits by passengers in the last year.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The dramatic increase in passengers suggests that SWT should be increasing the number of staff on stations, not cutting them.

"SWT's planned cuts will only make railway stations and the passengers who use them less secure. CCTV has its uses, but it is no substitute for the presence of trained uniformed staff.

"For our members this is an attack on up to 140 jobs, and for SWT's passengers it is an attack on their service and safety."

See also:

Cuts to SWT ticket office opening hours proposed

Richmond & Twickenham Times: 24th June 2008
By Chris Wickham

A train operator is refusing to confirm that three major borough stations will have fewer staff if proposals to reduce the opening hours of ticket offices are given the go ahead.

South West Trains (SWT) confirmed this week it had begun a consultation with unions and passenger groups into a reduction of opening hours at some "lesser used booking offices" which could see 118 positions lost.

But it would not comment on a suggestion from Twickenham MP Vincent Cable that staff numbers at Twickenham, Richmond and Teddington stations were set to drop.

Dr Cable called for SWT management to explain what the cuts would mean but a company spokeswoman said definitive announcements would not be made as locations for ticket office changes were not yet known.

Dr Cable said: "There is already a great deal of frustration with defective ticket machines and with passengers unable to obtain tickets before they travel.

"More generally, passengers are already anxious about security on stations, especially at night, and only two weeks ago Teddington - which now loses staff - was given a Safe Station award.

“I suspect that local rail users will not understand why there are cuts in services when rail fares are rising faster than inflation.” - Twickenham MP Vincent Cable

"I suspect that local rail users will not understand why there are cuts in services when rail fares are rising faster than inflation."

An SWT spokeswoman said the way train tickets were bought had changed dramatically and a review of ticket office sales led to proposals to reduce the opening hours of ticket offices at 114 stations.

"We have not reviewed opening hours for more than 10 years," she said. "Around 40 per cent are now bought from Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs), double what it was two years ago.

"We are not proposing to close any ticket offices completely, just to adjust the hours of those where it is not commercially viable to keep them open during quiet periods.

"We are not planning any compulsory redundancies and plan to achieve the reduction through natural wastage."

# What do you think of plans to reduce ticket office opening hours? Have your day using the comment box below.

Comments

Bruinhilda, Valhalla on 9:27pm Tue 24 Jun 08

As usual there will be general moans - but in the end, all the travellers will pay up. Imagine the public going on strike against the train operators!!!

andy, twickenham on 12:04pm Wed 25 Jun 08

Bruinhilda - some passengers did on 1st Great Western to rebel on overcrowding for months. They refused to pay their fares for a few days. FGW sorted out the problem pretty quick!!

Brunhilda, Valhalla on 6:28pm Wed 25 Jun 08

Sorry, Andy, I stand corrected.

See also:

Rail union bosses accuse Stagecoach of putting profits before safety

Daily Mirror: 26/06/2008

Rail union bosses yesterday accused transport giant Stagecoach of putting fat profits before the safety of its passengers.

Stagecoach yesterday revealed a 7.6 per cent rise in profits to £174.4million for the year to the end of April.

But the group is also slashing costs by cutting ticket office hours at South West Trains stations.

The RMT's leader Bob Crow said: "That puts up to 140 jobs at threat, undermines safety and service and is unacceptable. People want to see more staff on stations, not fewer.

"It's time ministers stopped rail privateers' fat profits at the expense of passengers and employees."

Stagecoach chief Brian Souter said fuel costs, increased road congestion and environment concerns drove the big increase in bus and train passengers.