Bolton: Hundreds sign petition against ticket office cuts

Bromley Cross, Lostock and Farnworth ticket offices are all listed among those facing the axe, while the office at Bolton station will face severely shortened hours.

But just last week, campaigners from the Bolton and District Pensioners Association handed in a 700-signature petition opposing the cuts, adding their voices to those collected by a consultation which closed just last week. 

Association secretary Bernadette Gallagher said: "The consultation only provided for an online petition, our group conducted a paper petition and had literally hundreds of conversations with rail passengers both old and young angry at the closures.  

“We asked a couple of passengers in wheelchairs to try and use the machines, both found it physically difficult but also they can only get their disabled discount ticket from a ticket office, saving them a considerable amount of money.”

The Association argues that cuts will hit the elderly and disabled the hardest (Image: Newsquest)

The planned closures had provoked a wave of opposition from across the political spectrum in Bolton.

In August, Conservative Bromley Cross councillors, Cllr Nadim Muslim, Cllr Samantha Connor and Cllr Amy Cowan all took to the streets to urge people to get behind the campaign to avert the cuts.

Later than month, Labour’s Bolton North parliamentary candidate Kirith Entwistle also urged people to oppose the closures, arguing that elderly and disabled people would be hit the hardest.

The backlash in Bolton was mirrored all across the country during a consultation period which ended last Friday.

The ticket office at Lostock Parkway is one of those threatened (Image: Newsquest)

Mrs Gallagher said: “Passengers feel safe knowing a ticket office is open late at night and there is someone you can talk to if you feel unsafe.

"These cuts are about delivering more profits at the expense of safety, we urge the government to drop the plans and seek an assurance from Labour to keep offices open if they get in government.”

As the consultation closed, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham put his name to a statement also signed by his counterparts Tracy Brabin of West Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard of South Yorkshire and Steve Rotherham of the Liverpool City Region.

Their joint statement said that the strength of the response showed that the closured could still be stopped.

It said: “The train companies initially tried to push the closure of ticket offices through, under the radar.

“Together, we made them listen.

“Our legal challenge resulted in the operators extending the consultation process, addressing unfair accessibility issues and producing Equality Impact Assessments which are vital in assessing the plans.

“This meant that more people were able to have their say on the plans and may otherwise have remained unheard.

“The law is clear that operators cannot close parts of stations without following the clear procedure set out in the Railways Act 2005.

“This procedure has still not been followed and the process of our legal challenge with the train firms around this remains ongoing.

“Closing ticket offices will hit the most vulnerable hardest.

“At a time when we need more people using the railways, these plans would have the opposite effect.

ALSO READ: Ticket office closures hit 'elderly and disabled' campaigners say as deadline looms

ALSO READ: Train campaign on track as three Bolton ticket offices face axe

ALSO READ: Protest outside Bolton's train stations over controversial move affecting commuters

“All eyes are now on Transport Focus to see how they respond to the hundreds of thousands of responses that we believe they have received.

“There is still an opportunity here to do the right thing and stop these plans now.

“In the meantime, we stand firm, and we will keep fighting."

The Railway Delivery Group, which represents train operators, has said previously that the closures are aimed at modernising customer services, given that the proportion of people buying tickets from offices fell from 24 per cent in 2012, to 12 per cent last year.

Chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: “We will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training to move into new more engaging roles."