Ticket office cuts at Clydesdale stations

Lanark ticket office will be hit the hardest but Carluke and Carstairs will also be affected by the proposals.

Plans to cut the opening times of Lanark, Carluke and Carstairs railway station ticket offices have already been condemned.

Clydesdale MP David Mundell has shared his views on the proposals, along with community councils and other community groups.

Under the plans, opening hours at Lanark ticket office would be dramatically cut – from the current 6.20am to 8.25pm Monday to Saturday to 8.45am to 11.25am Monday to Friday and 8.15am to 2.30pm on a Saturday.

Carstairs ticket office opening hours would be cut by more than three hours Monday to Thursday, more than an hour on Fridays and by more than three hours on Saturdays.

At Carluke, a cut of an hour and a quarter would be introduced Monday to Friday, with a reduction of an hour and a half on Saturdays.

Mr Mundell said: “These plans are very disappointing and I will be making representations to ScotRail that they should not be taken forward.

“Quite aside from the importance of having ticket offices open to deal with customer enquiries, they also help provide a safe and accessible railway for everyone.

“If these plans were to be agreed, they would be a very unwelcome hit on public transport serving communities in Clydesdale and one that risks a significant reduction in service to local rail commuters.

“We need to be looking for opportunities to increase public transport options in the area, not further run down those that already exist.”

Now, individuals are being asked to voice their views in a bid to safeguard against any more cuts to local services.

Under the plans being consulted on by ScotRail, opening hours at Lanark ticket office would see the harshest cuts – with the ticket office closing Monday to Friday at 11.25am, instead of the current 8.25pm. And on a Saturday it would close at 2.30pm instead of 8.25pm.

Opening hours at Carluke ticket office would also be impacted, closing at 12.30pm Monday to Friday instead of 1.44pm and on a Saturday operating from 7.30am to 1.15pm instead of the current hours of 6.20am to 1.44pm.

Carstairs ticket office, which currently operates Monday to Saturday from 7.20am to 2.24pm would see its hours reduced to 7.15am to 11am Monday to Thursday, 7am to 12.45pm on a Friday and 9.45am to 1pm on a Saturday.

According to ScotRail, changes to ticket office opening hours at stations will deliver “a better level of service for customers” and there will be no job cuts as a result.

Before the pandemic, it said customers were increasingly using online options or Ticket Vending Machines, rather than ticket offices.

ScotRail claims there has been a 50 per cent drop in the use of ticket offices over the past 10 years, with the pandemic quickening that pace of change.

This dramatic shift prompted a review of ticket office opening hours for the first time since 1991. The assessment has considered where there is a decline in tickets sales at stations, the opportunities that exist to reduce fraudulent travel and how to increase revenue.

Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users, is now conducting a three week public consultation on behalf of ScotRail seeking the views of customers.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s head of customer operations, said: “There has been no real review of our ticket office opening hours for 30 years and it is important we keep up with the changing habits of customers who no longer rely on purchasing tickets in that way.

“With more than a 50 per cent drop in the use of ticket offices, heightened by the pandemic, we want to do everything we can to make sure everyone has a hassle-free journey.

“Nobody in ScotRail will lose their jobs as a result of these changes and it is important to note that rather than being about cutting jobs, this is about adding value for our staff and customers.

“Over the coming weeks we’ll be talking to customers, staff, and stakeholders about the improvements they can expect to see and experience as they travel around Scotland’s Railway.”

A 21-day consultation was launched on Wednesday, January 12, at https://www.scotrail.co.uk/scotrail-ticket-office-consultation. To have your say, write to Transport Focus Freepost (RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ), PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ or email [email protected].