Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Objection to office plans
Coatbridge’s MSP is objecting to plans to reduce the opening hours of ticket offices at railway stations in the town, saying the move “would be a real blow to our train services” and could have “serious implications”.
Fulton Macgregor responded to the Scotrail consultation after visiting both Blairhill and Sunnyside stations and hearing from passengers and staff about the impact of reducing both offices to morning operation only.
He says constituents have contacted him to raise concerns about the proposals, and he has written to the rail operator’s chief executive and Scottish Government outlining fears about the impact on employment and public transport use.
Blairhill’s ticket office would open for only four hours during the morning rush hour on four days per week under the proposals and close in the early afternoon on Fridays and Saturdays, compared to its current 14-hour opening until 8.30pm.
Sunnyside would have similar operating times, remaining open until lunchtime Monday to Thursday – compared to remaining open until 7.30pm at present – as part of Scotrail proposals responding to declining in-person ticket purchases which would see staff redeployed.
Mr Macgregor told the Advertiser: “After speaking with staff at both Sunnyside and Blairhill, it’s more apparent than ever that it would be a real blow to our train services if these proposals are approved.
“Those working in ticket offices do much more than just selling tickets – one member of staff even told of how she had saved three lives at the station in her time working there acting as first response in emergency situations.
“I quickly became concerned about the proposals to cut the operating hours of ticket offices at local train stations, especially when several constituents got in touch to highlight their opposition; I’ve written to the chief executive of Scotrail and submitted my letter of opposition, and I hope that Scotrail take note of the serious implications these cuts could have.”
Posting on Facebook, the MSP added: “I heard about support being given to elderly and vulnerable customers as well as the [staff ] presence helping to curb anti-social behaviour at the stations; these proposals [aren’t] really taking that into account.
“I’m very much of the view that this is the wrong move for Scotrail to take – it’s not good for the hard working staff, is likely to make our stations less safe, [and] I understand footfall is down due to the pandemic but as we come out the other side we should be encouraging more train travel, not making it a less attractive option.
Mr Macgregor’s official response to the public consultation, which ended earlier this month, noted: “The Scottish Government is working to encourage greater use of public transport and I am concerned that such changes would impact people’s willingness to travel where no advice is available.
“While tickets can be purchased from machines or online, this does not suit many people and offices are a place often used for travel advice; I would ask that these proposals are put on hold for further consultation and reassurance that information will be readily available for all transport users in an accessible manner.
“My constituents and I are concerned that the reduction in operating hours at ticket offices will mean there will be staff cuts and a reduction in [their] hours or redundancies.”
Richard Leonard, the former Scottish Labour leader, has previously criticised the plans which would cut ticket office hours across Scotland by a third; while Mark Griffin, his fellow Central Scotland MSP, says they will “make it less convenient to use the train [and] pose a potential safety issue”.
Ticket offices across Lanarkshire would be impacted, with Airdrie and Motherwell set to shut at 7pm and 8.30pm respectively rather than midnight as at present.
Scotrail insist there will be no redundancies or service reductions, with staff being redeployed into mobile roles to “better meet the needs” of passengers following a halving of ticket office usage in the past decade and changes in use of the railway being exacerbated by the pandemic.
The rail operator says : “We are not conducting this exercise to reduce staff numbers and cut costs – this is about using the valuable resources we have in the best way to get the greatest benefit for our customers.
“Staff are not engaging with customers as often as we would like and many stations are no longer busy enough to have staff in a ticket office when they can be out helping [passengers].
“Nobody will lose their job as a result of these changes – rather being about cutting jobs, this is about adding value for our staff and customers. It is important that the right balance is achieved by having staff deployed in the right place at the right time.”