Image above: Parliamentary Candidate Arnold Warneken outside Selby Train Station, discussing the many issues with the proposed closure of ticket offices across England with Natalie Bennett, Green Party member of the House of Lords.
“The proposed closure of ticket offices up and down the country is completely unacceptable, discriminatory, and must be stopped.”
— Arnold Warneken, Parliamentary Candidate for the 2023 Selby & Ainsty By-Election
The Proposals
Selby Station’s ticket office is in the crosshairs for closure given the recent instruction from the government.
This is part of a bigger problem — the instruction to all railway operators was to close ticket offices, not just one or two, but all of them.
The aim of this ‘improvement’, according to the Rail Delivery Group, is to modernise the service.
How? Reshuffling staff’s job roles and priorities and bringing in more Ticket Vending Machines.
Who is to blame? The press release by RDG scapegoats RMT and the fact that no deal on pay and jobs offers have been secured due to their ‘refusal’. Conversely, RMT argues that proposals from RDG do not take into consideration their demands.
Putting industrial action and the relationships between RDG and RMT to one side for a moment, what people won't consider is the real impact of these decisions on all residents of and visitors to Selby.
A troubling contradiction to Selby Station's accessibility upgrades
What is frustrating is that this is happening just as Selby is finally being upgraded with accessible lifts. The improvements deliver the much-needed step-free access requested by residents for a very long time. Historically users would have to contend with the risk of having to physically cross the railway lines (which could only be done with support from ticket office staff).
At the heart of this is a clear contradiction which hasn’t been noticed by the powers that be. Let's improve access and take away support which users will still rely on.
“The decision to prioritise machines over human support fails to consider the real impact on individuals who rely on ticket office staff.”
— Arnold Warneken
Beyond Step-Free Access: The Importance of Ticket Offices for Safety, Accessibility and Inclusion
In addition to step-free access, there are more than physical needs which need to be supported at our stations.
We live in a society where some groups rely heavily on the use of cash, value the human connection when support is needed and look to staff to offer safety and security for those feeling vulnerable.
And then there's the other elephant in the room — ticket vending machines. For the elderly or partially sighted, these have the potential to add significant difficulty to the journey. Forcing the adoption of technology will increase stress for older generations, affecting their confidence and ultimately limiting their independence.
Building on this, partially sighted people may be impacted as the screen of the machine can present a barrier to their usage.
RNIB has conducted research and found that only 3% of partially sighted or blind respondents could use a ticket vending machine without problems. Alongside the mobility requirements of these groups, this adds another layer to this ticket office closure dilemma.
The Selby & District Green Party recognises that technology can be used to better a service, but it doesn’t replace it. It can support people to overcome barriers but also erect them (as described above). 'Modernisation' must not come at the expense of those who need our support the most.
Some journeys have complex ticketing requirements that may not be easily handled by automated machines. Navigating the labyrinth of ticket types, purchasing tickets for multiple destinations, and arranging for group travel often require human intervention and expertise. Ticket offices present a known, safe environment for those needing support with their journey, or to report criminal activity or raise concerns.
Closing Thoughts
This seems to be a step in the wrong direction and puts us on track for a large drop in service quality, which already feels like it couldn’t go any lower. We support the RMT union in their decision to carry out action days that highlight the need for our local station to be manned.
We ask that residents engage with the consultation by writing to Transpennine Express before 26 July 2023, highlighting the need for our ticket office at Selby station to remain open.
We believe that it's vital that ticket offices remain open, and will negotiate with whoever to secure this much-valued and appreciated service within our community. In addition to this, we will also look at how the station supports our infrastructure and look at how we can work with rail partners to better this service overall.
