True scale of ScotRail ticket office reduction plans revealed

Rail union TSSA is today outlining the true scale of ScotRail's plans to drastically reduce the opening hours of 101 ticket offices.

The union – which is spearheading the campaign calling on the rail operator and Scottish Government to ditch the proposals – has uncovered that ScotRail’s plans mean railway ticket office hours will be cut by a whopping 2745 hours a week across the network.

Commenting, TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust said: “The true cost of ScotRail’s plans are stark - passengers will lose almost three thousand hours of staffed ticket offices every single week.

“This is not only woefully bad news for every railway passenger, but demonstrates a lack of understanding about why people need fully staffed and open ticket offices.

“Women and girls will be put at risk due to unstaffed stations. Vulnerable passengers, those with disabilities and learning disabilities, will have to rely on the mercy of ticket machines, with no way of being sure that they’re buying the right ticket or paying the best price.

“It’s simply not good enough from a publicly owned railway. Scottish Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop should be intervening right now to tell ScotRail to halt these ludicrous plans and commit to keeping ticket offices open.”

TSSA has launched a campaign and a petition opposing the cutting of ticket office opening hours which began last Friday (22nd November)with activists leafleting at Blairhill station in Coatbridge.