Island Echo always welcomes letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff.
Letter to the editor – Tuesday 29th August 2023
“Please ensure that the proposed closure of the rail ticket offices across England – including Ryde on the Island – have as much publicity as possible. It is so important that people realise the implications of closing these offices.
“If these ticket offices close, this will have a devastating impact on blind and partially sighted people’s ability to travel independently: stopping people getting to work, health appointments, and seeing friends.
“Ticket offices are not just about selling tickets. They provide a reliable first point of contact for many kinds of staff assistance such as arranging sighted guidance through the station and safely on to the train, to advising on any changes to journeys.
“Modernisation of our railways doesn’t just mean apps and touchscreens; modernisation means inclusivity and not leaving anyone behind. l often need to ask the advice of staff before buying my rail tickets.
“Advice about routes, travel times, best connections, use of rail cards etc. are all important. These proposals have not been thought through with enough consideration.
“Without the staff at Ryde ticket office to advise me, I would not be confident that I was buying the correct, most appropriate and least expensive ticket. For a blind or partially sighted person, the need for someone in person to provide support and advice is far greater”.
Erica Hall
Wootton
The trouble is that thanks to privatisation and fragmentation, you need to select “the correct, most appropriate and least expensive ticket” from dozens of possible ticket offers. Under a unified rail system, ticket purchase would not have to address revenue allocation or competition and would be as simple as once it was. Then, and only then, ticket offices might be superfluous, even for disabled users.
But you won’t get that obvious improvement over to the free-market botch merchants.
Boring Erica go back to your little dark room and stay there
I completely agree with you.
Some time ago my elderly parents were planning a journey down to visit me. The need to change trains was evident from the published schedules, but it was only through the helpful person at the ticket office that it became clear that the best place to change trains was at Stafford, where both trains stopped at the same platform. Much easier than struggling across huge stations like Birmingham New Street and Manchester Picadilly.
Save this service at all costs.