Call to halt ticket office cuts

South West Trains does not plan to close any ticket offices

The government has been urged to stop rail operator South West Trains from reducing ticket office opening times.

The Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) opposed plans to shut 114 offices at weekends or earlier during the week.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "We need to see more staff on stations, not fewer."

South West Trains (SWT), which operates rail routes from Waterloo to south-west England, said the way passengers bought tickets had "changed dramatically".

SWT plans would leave some stations without ticket offices at weekends and others without evening and early morning cover.

A Department for Transport decision is expected soon on whether to allow the cuts to go ahead.

Mr Crow said: "The government has the power to stop these unwarranted cuts and I have asked the minister to act decisively in the interests of passengers."

If SWT is allowed to get away with it, other greedy train operators will see it as a green light to shut ticket offices across the rail network Bob Crow, Rail Maritime and Transport Union

He added: "It is unacceptable that a hugely profitable company like SWT should attempt to lay off vital front line railway staff, not least in the current economic climate.

"If SWT is allowed to get away with it, other greedy train operators will see it as a green light to shut ticket offices across the rail network."

A spokesman for SWT said ticket office opening hours had not been reviewed for 10 years.

"With retail constantly evolving and peoples' needs changing there was a need to review this," he said.

More tickets are now available from vending machines, over the internet or telephone, he added.

"There are no proposals to close any ticket offices," he said.

Ashwin Kumar, director of independent rail watchdog Passenger Focus, said passengers want staff at stations for advice and assistance on ticket sales.

"We fear these plans will lead to passengers paying more for their off-peak tickets than they should," he said.