Impact Assessment

John Stevens writes:

Train firms have admitted passengers will be put at risk of being swindled by crooks and railway stations made to feel less safe by shutting ticket offices.

Damning documents, written by the rail companies themselves, lay bare the true impact of the closures on disabled, elderly and vulnerable passengers. The devastating assessments will intensify fears about the consequences of the Government-backed plan to axe ticket offices at 974 railway stations in England.

Rail bosses have admitted it is possible disabled people will be discouraged from travelling by train, older people will be unable to pay with cash at stations and those with hearing loss will find it harder to get support. Each of the rail firms wanting to shut local ticket offices has been required to produce an Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment setting out how older and disabled passengers will be affected.

TransPennine Express acknowledged that vulnerable customers currently “use the Ticket Offices and waiting rooms as a point of safety and refuge” and warned that some may feel "anxious" without them.

Setting out other negative consequences of the closures, the train operator added: “Disabled customers may potentially be victims of financial extortion if they need to give their bank card to others to assist them with purchasing tickets. Customers with hearing impairments may find it difficult to obtain information if staffing hours are reduced, particularly if they rely on lip reading. Older people may be socially isolated, and the Ticket Office offers them the opportunity to have a conversation with other members of their community.”

East Midlands Railway admitted the potential negative impacts include “an increased risk of anti-social behaviour” when stations are not staffed.

Rail firms in own words on potential impact of ticket office cull

TransPennine Express

“Vulnerable customers can use the Ticket Offices and waiting rooms as a point of safety and refuge. Not having this centralised location or having the opening times of waiting rooms altered may leave some customers feeling anxious about being at the station.”

“Disabled customers may potentially be victims of financial extortion if they need to give their bank card to others to assist them with purchasing tickets.”

“Older people may be socially isolated, and the Ticket Office offers them the opportunity to have a conversation with other members of their community.”

Northern

“The reduction in the presence of staff may create a perception amongst customers that stations are less safe than they are today. Vacant buildings maybe subject to vandalism, squatters, fires, antisocial behaviour, and general damage if not secured appropriately. This may deter passengers from travelling due to the appearance of an unsafe environment… There may be blind spots in the station, i.e., no CCTV coverage, which are prone to instances of anti-social behaviour and crime.”

“Customers at 131 stations will not be able to use cash to purchase ticket products in or at the station, impacting those who rely on cash as a payment method. This will particularly impact the elderly, and/or communities that are more deprived, as they are more likely to prefer cash as their valued form of money.”

South Western Railway

“Potential of negative impact of Ticket Vending Machines: Not accessible for wheelchair users due to the height of the screen and card reader. No audio available so not accessible for visually impaired customers and customers with reduced literacy levels. For customers with visual impairments the contrast on the TVM screen is a challenge… There is a risk that some customers may feel like children if a member of staff has to push the buttons on [their] behalf.”

“With fewer staffing hours available at some station, concerns have been raised about customers who are in a vulnerable state and wish to end their life.”

Chiltern Railways

“With the removal of the ticket office, some customers may be unable to understand, be familiar with, or find it difficult to use technology. These customers would typically use the ticket office facility and may prefer to use cash to purchase tickets. They may not trust the contactless payment system or remember their Chip & Pin code and also prefer the interaction with staff to book and fulfil their travel needs. The ticket office often provides them with confidence that their travel needs will be looked after.”

Avanti West Coast

“Ticket offices are a known space for passengers to find staff and receive assistance, not just for purchasing tickets. This could result in passengers not receiving the support they need leading to them no longer choosing to travel by rail.”

“Ticket offices have hearing loops installed at counters. If there is a lot of background noise, staff can support customers and take them to a quieter area to communicate.”

Greater Anglia

“Ticket office reforms will cause anxiety for those customers who are more reliant on human interaction to travel - in general but also at specific times, e.g. during periods of disruption.”

“Crime, anti-social behaviour and fear of crime (including hate crime) may increase as ticket offices are closed and static colleague presence reduced.”

Northern said the “reduction in the presence of staff may create a perception amongst customers that stations are less safe than they are today.”

South Western Railway admitted that some ticket machines are “not accessible for wheelchair users due to the height of the screen and card reader’ and visually impaired passengers can find the contrast on the screens “a challenge.”

Several of the rail companies acknowledged that customers with hearing difficulties could find it harder to get advice once ticket counters that have a built-in loop system are closed. C2C suggested passengers could “seek out a quiet area” of the railway station to speak to staff instead.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch last night demanded that the cull is abandoned. He said: “The fact that train companies own equality impact assessments show the detrimental effect of ticket office closures means the whole endeavour must be scrapped. The purpose of closing ticket offices is to open the way for the widespread de-staffing of stations up and down the country.

“We will continue our campaign alongside disabled and passenger groups to save our ticket offices. And we will consider taking legal action on disability discrimination grounds if the rail companies and government do not reverse course.”

Chris Jackson, Interim Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said: “For each of our 16 staffed stations we have conducted detailed Equality Impact Assessments, which identify potential impacts, but also detail actions which will be undertaken to mitigate impacts to any of our customers with protected characteristics.”

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We need to modernise to meet the changing needs of our customers and we are seeking views from the public on these proposals.” The firm said passengers wishing to use cash can obtain a “promise to pay” ticket from machines and then buy one on the train.

Train firms have admitted passengers will be put at risk of being swindled by crooks and railway stations made to feel less safe by shutting ticket offices.

Damning documents, written by the rail companies themselves, lay bare the true impact of the closures on disabled, elderly and vulnerable passengers. The devastating assessments will intensify fears about the consequences of the Government-backed plan to axe ticket offices at 974 railway stations in England.

Rail bosses have admitted it is possible disabled people will be discouraged from travelling by train, older people will be unable to pay with cash at stations and those with hearing loss will find it harder to get support. Each of the rail firms wanting to shut local ticket offices has been required to produce an Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment setting out how older and disabled passengers will be affected.

TransPennine Express acknowledged that vulnerable customers currently “use the Ticket Offices and waiting rooms as a point of safety and refuge” and warned that some may feel "anxious" without them.

Setting out other negative consequences of the closures, the train operator added: “Disabled customers may potentially be victims of financial extortion if they need to give their bank card to others to assist them with purchasing tickets. Customers with hearing impairments may find it difficult to obtain information if staffing hours are reduced, particularly if they rely on lip reading. Older people may be socially isolated, and the Ticket Office offers them the opportunity to have a conversation with other members of their community.”

“Crime, anti-social behaviour and fear of crime (including hate crime) may increase as ticket offices are closed and static colleague presence reduced.”

Northern said the “reduction in the presence of staff may create a perception amongst customers that stations are less safe than they are .”

South Western Railway admitted that some ticket machines are “not accessible for wheelchair users due to the height of the screen and card reader’ and visually impaired passengers can find the contrast on the screens “a challenge”.

Several of the rail companies acknowledged that customers with hearing difficulties could find it harder to get advice once ticket counters that have a built-in loop system are closed. C2C suggested passengers could “seek out a quiet area” of the railway station to speak to staff instead.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch last night demanded that the cull is abandoned. He said: “The fact that train companies own equality impact assessments show the detrimental effect of ticket office closures means the whole endeavour must be scrapped. The purpose of closing ticket offices is to open the way for the widespread de-staffing of stations up and down the country.

“We will continue our campaign alongside disabled and passenger groups to save our ticket offices. And we will consider taking legal action on disability discrimination grounds if the rail companies and government do not reverse course.”

Chris Jackson, Interim Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said: “For each of our 16 staffed stations we have conducted detailed Equality Impact Assessments, which identify potential impacts, but also detail actions which will be undertaken to mitigate impacts to any of our customers with protected characteristics.”

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We need to modernise to meet the changing needs of our customers and we are seeking views from the public on these proposals.” The firm said passengers wishing to use cash can obtain a “promise to pay” ticket from machines and then buy one on the train.