Rail ticket office closure 'unlawful' according to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
They claim the railway company didn't follow Government procedures
Consultation by Greater Anglia on proposed railway ticket office closures was “unlawful” and should be re-done, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) has claimed.
The authority – responsible for transport in the region – says that people who filled out consultation surveys have been “left in the dark” as to the issues most relevant to the final decision on the rail company’s suite of planned closures.
It also said that by failing to officially commit to following Government procedure around ticket office closures, which sets out the timeline that should be followed from proposal to consultation to action, it was “legally inadequate”.
The CPCA made the comments in a letter to the independent watchdog Transport Focus, which has been tasked with reviewing consultation feedback now that the process has ended.
It also expressed its own view that “staffed, accessible ticket offices are an essential part of the rail network and must be protected”.
Greater Anglia says the closures would help provide “a more modern and flexible service for customers” after a decline in use and that no station would be left unstaffed as other facilities would remain open and “customer hosts” would be able to provide advice on ticket purchases.
They added: “We welcome the feedback from customers and stakeholders have been providing to Transport Focus and London TravelWatch about our station proposals, during the consultation period.
“We were keen that the final plans were shaped by that public input. We’re grateful for all the submissions that have been made and we would like to thank everyone who has participated.
“We now look forward to receiving the recommendations of Transport Focus and London TravelWatch in a few weeks’ time, which we will consider carefully and use to inform updated final plans influenced by those suggestions.”