The issue of ticket offices at railway stations being closed has long been one, which has concerned passengers and railway unions alike. Recently Newcastle Central Station has seen the closing of the dedicated railway ticket office, it being replaced by a small kiosk on the concourse with two windows.
Rail passengers in the North East have raised serious concerns about the closing of the ticket office at the region’s busiest railway station, Newcastle Central, was recently closed to be replaced by a platform kiosk. This is despite the fact that passengers across the country celebrated in 2023 following a successful campaign led by the RMT union, which forced a government U-turn on proposals to close ticket offices at most railway stations in England.
At the time, ministers were reported to have said that “resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers”. However, two years on, the train company operating Newcastle Central station, LNER, has taken the decision to close the dedicated ticket office and replace it with a kiosk on the station concourse. The new kiosk serves as both a ticket window and an information point for passengers, leading to long queues of people on a draughty concourse.
The North East Public Transport Users Group (NEPTUG) has written to LNER boss David Horne to raise concerns on behalf of passengers.
Alistair Ford, Chair of NEPTUG’s Newcastle branch, said “We have heard from numerous rail users that the new kiosk on Newcastle situation isn’t fit for purpose, with passengers struggling to obtain information, finding it hard to hear during transactions, and missing trains due to long queues. We have contacted LNER with our concerns but have, to date, only received an AI generated response that did not directly address any of the issues that passengers are relating to us.”
Issues with the new ticket kiosk
NEPTUG say that there are a number of serious issues with the location and design of the new kiosk, which has two service windows to deal with both passenger queries and ticket sales.
They say:
Firstly, the new kiosk combines two functions with no separation, meaning those queuing for information, often against the clock as their train departure time approaches, are made to wait behind passengers buying complex tickets or with long reservation processes. This means that waiting times for information can be over half an hour, leading to missed connections or people running for trains.
Additionally, the location is deeply unsuitable, with terrible acoustics meaning those behind the glass of the ticket window must be heard above the hubbub of the station and the noise of (almost constant) platform announcements. Those with hearing impairments, who wear hearing aids, or those whose first language is not English are particularly inconvenienced. This is a serious equality concern. The previous ticket office was behind a door and carpeted, with much better acoustics and heating so passengers weren’t made to wait in the cold. Staff have informed NEPTUG that it is as difficult for them as it is for passengers.
Finally, the new kiosk blocks the view of the departure boards (see attached photos) meaning that it is hard to see information about trains, platforms etc.
Ford added “Whilst only around 10% of rail passengers buy their tickets at a ticket office, these passengers are often those with additional needs, complex queries, or visitors to the UK. LNER’s new provision falls well short of ensuring those passengers’ needs are met and is far inferior to the previous office on the station. We hope that LNER will listen to passenger concerns and reinstate a proper ticket office in Newcastle, a major gateway to the North East.”
This article is based on a press release from North East Public Transport Users’ Group.
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