Rail workers and campaigners descended on Walsall Railway Station on Tuesday morning (23 August) to protest against the planned closure of 1,000 ticket offices across England.
The campaign was spearheaded by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) is in direct response to the alleged government plans to shut down 1,000 ticket offices.
As RMT General Secretary, Mick Lynch, has said: “The floodgates have now opened for the annihilation of ticket offices. Ticket office staff make sure our railways are safe, secure and accessible. Wholesale ticket office closures would be disastrous and leave our railway deserted. Disabled and elderly passengers will be particularly affected.”
Protests also took place across the country, including at Birmingham New Street, Snow Hill, Derby and Nottingham.
Mick Carney, TSSA President and ticket office clerk for train operator Southeastern, said: “The move to close ticket offices is beyond short-sighted and typical of a Tory government who understands the cost of everything but the value of nothing.
“The elderly, disabled, less tech-savvy and many tourists rely on well-trained ticket office staff to not only get the best deal, but in many cases, without them, it would not be possible for them to travel. For me, a ticket office clerk of 33 years, this dispute is about far more than a pay rise.”
The department of transport has stated that no final decision has been made for the plans to close ticket offices.