Plans To Close Railway Station Ticket Offices In England Have Been Scrapped, In A Government U-Turn.
The government has announced it will not proceed with train operator proposals to scrap ticket offices across England. That means ticket offices will stay open in Lincolnshire including Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Skegness, and Lincoln.
Proposals to close train ticket offices have been scrapped by the Government after a public outcry on the proposals.
The Government had planned to close all ticket offices across England which would have caused serious problems for disabled and older people. Now, the Government have changed their minds.
Rishi Sunak has gained a reputation for changing his mind on promises that the Tory Government have made. But for a change, his change of mind has gone down well with the people of Lincolnshire.
After receiving more than 750,000 responses from the public over the closure of train ticket offices, Rishi Sunak with a potential election coming has decided for once to listen to the people.
Lincolnshire was set to see most of their train ticket offices closed which would have had serious implications for regular train users.
The closure of train ticket offices would not only have a negative impact on train passengers, it would have also resulted in job losses.
Announcing the reprieve, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “The consultation on ticket offices has now ended, with the government making clear to the rail industry throughout the process that any resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers.
“We have engaged with accessibility groups throughout this process and listened carefully to passengers as well as my colleagues in parliament.
“The proposals that have resulted from this process do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers, and so the government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals.”
The Rail Delivery Group has said: “While these plans won’t now be taken forward, we will continue to look at other ways to improve passenger experience while delivering value for the taxpayer. Our priority remains to secure a vibrant long-term future for the industry and all those who work in it.”
It is now hoped with the announcement that the train ticket offices will not close that the Government will now look at improving the train transport system in Lincolnshire.
