Chiswick Station’s ticket office faces closure

Image above: Chiswick Station ticket office; Photograph by Matt Smith

Chiswick, Brentford, Barnes and Wandsworth town ticket offices among those to be axed 

Chiswick, Brentford and Barnes railway stations are all set to lose their ticket offices under South Western Railway’s plans to “modernise”.

The proposal to close ticket offices and alter staffing arrangements has sparked concern among commuters and workers. Many rely on the convenience and accessibility provided by ticket counters.

SWR are proposing to close ticket offices at Barnes, Brentford, Chiswick, Clapham Junction, Earlsfield, London Waterloo, Putney, Raynes Park, Richmond (London), Wandsworth Town, and Wimbledon.

While passengers may no longer have access to counters for purchasing tickets, SWR assures that station staff will be available to sell tickets and assist commuters. They say their aimis to maintain service standards, but passengers fear there will be delays and inconvenience during peak hours, particularly if the reduced staffing levels cannot adequately handle the passenger flow.

Brentford and Chiswick stations have been classified under Category 3, implying that station staffing levels will remain similar to the current ticket office opening hours. Major stations such as  London Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Richmond, and Putney would see an increase in staff presence, ensuring a 24-hour service.

Images above: Signage outside of Chiswick Station’s ticket office, Damian Wojnarowski inside his coffee kiosk; photographs by Matt Smith

If there’s no assistance “I’m not coming from here”, says guide dog user

On Monday (10 July), those who work at Chiswick Station told The Chiswick Calendar their workload would inevitably increase with the closure of the ticket office and elderly people would struggle using ticket machines – when they are actually working (both were out of service on Monday).

Kevin, a cleaner at Chiswick Station and a member of the RMT union, expressed his concerns about the closure. He said there was a “100%” chance of an increase in his workload if the ticket office closed, as more and more customers would spot his hi-vis jacket and ask him for help buying tickets.

He also mentioned the difficulties faced by elderly people in using ticket machines and said he would need additional training on handling tickets.

Damian Wojnarowski, who runs the coffee kiosk at Chiswick Station, said he thought it was a bad move:

“I’m like an information desk… if they want to renew their passes or something, you need to speak to someone directly, right? They cannot do it with a machine.”

Damian told me he regularly directed customers to ticket officers in Barnes or Brentford when the operator was on holiday, highlighting the consistent demand for in-person services.

A guide-dog user from Chiswick, who was about to board the train, told me her worries about the closure and said she would be taking part in the public consultation.

“Obviously getting assistance if I’m travelling on my own, if there’s nobody there then I’m not coming from here”, she said.

Images above: Ticket machines at Chiswick Station on Monday (10 July); Photographs by Matt Smith

Proposed changes to Chiswick, Brentford and Wandsworth Town stations ticket offices

Chiswick Station

Brentford Station

Wandsworth Town Station

Images above: Chiswick Station’s ticket office, SWR signage recommending you to buy before you board; photographs by Matt Smith

Past decade has seen “significantly reduced usage of ticket offices”, says SWR

SWR says it has made the proposals to ‘modernise the railway and bring it more in line with modern consumer expectations.’ It says that over the past decade, there has been “significantly reduced usage” of ticket offices as customers move to alternative, more convenient ways of buying tickets.

The company says 75% of journeys are made using contactless, Oyster, Tap2Go, SWR Touch Smartcards, eTickets and of the 12% of tickets bought at ticket offices nationwide last year, an estimated 99% could have been bought using a ticket vending machine or online. Before the advent of the smartphone, 85% of tickets were sold over the counter in the station.

SWR say it will transition station staff to new ‘multi-skilled roles’ and create a single team on each station to help passengers and it pledges to continue to meet all its commitments on providing accessibility for passengers, including passengers with reduced mobility and people requiring in-person assistance.

The RMT union has condemned “fat cat train operators” and the Government for attempting to “decimate” the railways by announcing the closure of 1,000 ticket offices.

The union says that on the back of the announcement, SWR are issuing statutory redundancy notices for hundreds of railway workers, something they will fiercely oppose.

Take part in the consultation now

Responses to the consultation are being handled by London TravelWatch, the independent transport user watchdog. It says it will use this feedback to respond formally to the rail industry about the proposals.

Passengers with comments about any of the changes, should get in touch by Wednesday 26 July and make it clear which station they are commenting on.

As part of this consultation process, London Travelwatch will look into whether the proposed changes will impact passengers’ ability to buy a ticket, the level of staff presence at stations and operators’ ability to deliver services for Disabled passengers.

Michael Roberts, Chief Executive for London TravelWatch, said:

“Your voice as a passenger is fundamental to this whole process. We’re urging you to check your local station for details on how to feed back your views, either by email or in writing.”

Email your response to: swr.consultation@londontravelwatch.org.uk

Or write to:

Freepost RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ
London TravelWatch
PO Box 5594
Southend-on-Sea
SS1 9PZ