Last remaining local station ticket offices to be scrapped

Rail chiefs have announced plans to close almost all the 1,007 remaining rail ticket offices around England within the next three years - and that includes Horsham District.

Until now busier stations have been protected. But under pressure from the Conservative government, our last remaining ticket offices in Billingshurst, Horsham and Pulborough now face the axe.

Ticket offices are a lifeline for so many passengers, particularly those who are elderly or disabled, and overseas visitors. It’s inevitable that some people will stop using the train altogether.

Although most people now go online or use a vending machine, there are still 180 million journeys per year being made using tickets purchased at a station office. Offices also provide other services such as refunds and season ticket changes which can’t be done at a machine.

Just 3 weeks have been allowed for public comment. It’s hard to avoid the impression this is a purely token consultation on a decision that has already been made. As a matter of urgency, Horsham Lib Dems are calling for a change of heart and have started a petition to Save our Ticket Offices!

According to Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate John Milne:

“These ticket office closures are the latest step in the Conservative’s long war against public services. As with the NHS and so many other vital services, it’s a strategy of ‘death by a 1,000 cuts’. We should be meeting the needs of all the people, not just the youngest and the most able.”

Read more:

• Consultation website: https://www.southernrailway.com/publicconsultation
• Consultation response e-mail address for all Horsham District stations: ticketoffice.GTR@transportfocus.org.uk