Portsmouth City Council urging South Western Railway to abandon “perverse” proposed station changes

Thee is currently a consultation period regarding the Government’s controversial plans to close most ticket offices in England.

More than 315,000 responses so far reveals how strongly the travelling public feel about plans to “dehumanise” the rail network.

South Western Railway has been asked to abandon proposed station changes in Portsmouth because of concerns about the impact on vulnerable passengers.

Portsmouth City Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, has written to GWR outlining his “serious” concerns.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson noted that the proposals are “driven by a desire to reduce the cost to Government, as rail travel has fallen by 30% since the pandemic.”

In his letter, he writes: “I am seriously concerned that the current proposals are rushed, poorly thought through, and will damage the independence and access to employment, education, and leisure activities for the most vulnerable citizens and indeed many other residents of Portsmouth.

"They will do nothing to encourage greater use of rail travel as the environmental choice. In fact, they will deter many passengers, leading to a potential spiral of decline.

“Not all residents have bank accounts, especially in a city such as Portsmouth, with areas of deprivation and low income, yet not all ticket vending machines (TVM) take cash.

"Even those that do are unable to offer the full range of tickets available in ticket offices. There is a plan to update TVMs, but again this will not be implemented before the proposals are planned to be introduced.

“The consultation is poorly thought through, because if a customer is unable to buy the ticket they want at the start of the journey, they will be advised to travel without a ticket and buy this during the journey from the conductor; by breaking the journey at one of the 24 stations with full retail capabilities; or at their destination.

“Suggesting that passengers should start a journey - perhaps not even knowing their fare - is perverse and will deter those without self-confidence.

"Encouraging ticketless travel, a complete U-turn in the last months where some train companies have introduced a £100 penalty for this, will lead some to realise that they can use the trains without paying at all.”

Cllr Vernon-Jackson continued: “It is difficult to quantify how residents in Portsmouth will be affected, as there is a lack of detail in the consultation.

"We know that over six million passengers passed through the four staffed Portsmouth stations in 2019-20 but you only provide the national average that 12% of tickets are bought at ticket offices. An average can mask wide differences.

“We do know, according to the proposals, that Cosham will no longer be staffed on Sundays. How will the toilets at Cosham station, which are essential to older and disabled users, remain open on Sundays, and if they do, how long before they are vandalised?

“The consultation lacks the necessary information to enable a fully informed response, but what it does tell us is that ticket offices should not be closed until a range of measures are complete.

"These include passengers being able to obtain the full range of tickets, railcards, and smartcards through TVMs and the fare simplification process is completed so that they can make informed choices.

"The needs of those unable to use TVMs or needing special assistance such as wheelchair ramps in a timely manner must be addressed.

"The needs of the digitally excluded and the unbanked must be met and where ticket offices provide enclosed waiting areas, to address personal safety concerns this must continue to be provided.

“Portsmouth City Council has worked closely with South Western Railway for a number of years to increase rail use and improve accessibility for our residents to train travel.

"I am extremely disappointed with these proposals which, if implemented, will undermine much of what we have been trying to achieve.

"Therefore, I would request that the proposals are abandoned as they stand, or at least postponed until measures to address equality and inclusion are fully developed and implemented.”