Campaigners celebrate victory in railway ticket offices rebellion

Campaigners are celebrating after plans to close ticket offices at Torquay and Paignton train stations were derailed.

Torbay MP Kevin Foster was among those welcoming news that the government has told railway operatrs to scrap the controversial proposals.

Whilst transactions from ticket offices have dropped below 15 per cent of ticket sales nationally, the levels of passengers still using a ticket office in the Bay is much higher than the national average.

At Paignton Station 41.3 per cent of tickets (a total of 75,595) were sold at the ticket office, compared to 48.2 per cent being purchased online (88,341).

The ticket office use at Torquay Station is lower than in Paignton, but still higher than many others with 29.4 per cent(37,984) sold from the office, compared to 59.4 per cent (76,612) online. The balance at both stations is sold from the self-service ticket machines. All figures given are for the 2022/23 financial year. Torre Station does not have a staffed ticket office.

Following the announcement of the proposed closures earlier this year, Mr Foster worked with Paignton councillor and rail enthusiast John Fellows to collect a petition opposing the closure of Paignton Station’s ticket office, which hundreds of residents rushed to sign.

He also spoke out in the House of Commons, demanding any changes at Torquay must be linked to creating indoor facilities on the Up Platform, not just a closure which resulted in passengers and staff needing to use a self-service machine located on the platform, often with the station’s bin next to it.

Mr Foster said: “Its apt that Halloween has brought news the spectre of closure which had been hanging over Paignton and Torquay ticket offices has been cancelled. The way customers use our stations is changing, yet the ticket office at Paignton is not underused and the lack of any alternative indoor passenger facilities at Torquay, left customers and station staff facing the ghoulish prospect of standing on the platform in all weathers to buy a ticket from a machine located next to the station’s bin.

“I hope what we can now see come forward are clearer plans for how passengers' needs will be incorporated into plans for future ticket sales, including major changes at Torquay Station to provide indoor ticket purchasing facilities on the UP Platform at Torquay Station where virtually all passengers depart from.”

Devon County Council leader John Hart said: “I wholeheartedly welcome and support the Government’s decision to tell railway operators to scrap plans to close ticket offices. The county council voted unanimously to oppose the closures and lobby strongly for them to be retained. Devon is a very rural county with a higher than average number of older people who often rely on this service.

“Our Cabinet member, Andrea Davis, who chairs the Peninsula Transport board, has also been very vocal in making our views known to the rail operators and Ministers. This is a sensible, commonsense decision.”