Station Booking Office - Protest Now

Wed 26 Jul 2023, 23:23

Nicolette,

I do not want to see this thread moved to the Debate section and hope that you will accept my words as helpful advice to you and others, who may be concerned about the loss of the booking office at Charlbury Station. Firstly, when commenting, it is important that we do not confuse the threatened loss of the booking office with the need for renovation of the station building itself and, as Christine has pointed out, the period for submitting your views on the loss of the booking office has been extended, to close on Friday 1st September. Secondly, as much as we all care about our community and consider Charlbury to be a special place, it is not a special case in this matter. Any representation to Transport Focus or Robert Courts will be better made by your saying how and why the loss of the ticket office will affect you, e.g. the staff member displaced to general duties on the station, will be unable to help you with information about services and fares which are out of the ordinary, such as the best way of travelling by train from Charlbury to Chester (other examples are available). Whereas a person working in a ticket office would be able to help with such an enquiry. If there are other ways by which you will be disadvantaged, please state those too.

Do not bother to mention the dilapidated state of the station building to Transport Focus as it is outside their remit but do tell them if you think that, say, nationally fewer train journeys will be made, resulting in additional car travel. By all means press Mr. Courts for his support with both issues but please do not confuse the two.

Wed 26 Jul 2023, 20:01

Christine's information is a sign that all the people fighting to save their station' s booking office may be getting somewhere but there are many such offices across the land and we need to make the case for charlbury 's being a special case. Last Wednesday I wrote again to our MP putting forward at length that one size a does NOT fit all and there are numerous  reasons why Charlbury's booking office is a special case and the member staff who is on the site should be able to sell tickets. But if no one else writes to him he will find it difficult to make us a special case. This is NOT party politics : we have only one MP and we have to use him who ever he is and the manning of booking offices  is a national issue and MPs need to be involved. 

Wed 26 Jul 2023, 14:15

Date for consultation for the closure of ticket offices extended until September 1st. This is because the rail companies failed to consult disability groups in the way that they were legally obliged to do.

It also looks as if some particular stationmasters' offices might be saved. Let's hope that Charlbury is one of these, especially as they will have to keep the station building manned to prevent another disaster of pipes freezing and causing structural damage.

Tue 25 Jul 2023, 22:08

It's madness

Tue 25 Jul 2023, 21:47

For those who wish to make their views known regarding the proposed ticket office closures, an easy to complete form is available at:

https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/ticket-office-consultation/

Alternatively, email your views to:

TicketOffice.GWR@transportfocus.org.uk

You may wish to use some of the points in this list compiled by Cotswold Line Promotion Group to be found here:

https://clpg.online/2023/07/closure-of-ticket-offices/