Stratford rail travellers face more disruption despite U-turn on closing town ticket office
STRATFORD railway station’s ticket office remains closed to travellers despite a government U-turn on plans to scrap ticketing officers across the country.
After public pressure and protest had won the day, it looked like the office at Stratford’s town centre railway station would once again open, but that has not been the case. In fact, the facility has been closed for months leaving angry passengers with one simple question: when will it be open again?
In addition to the closed ticket office, the accessible toilets have been temporarily closed and, despite reassurances from West Midlands Railway, there doesn’t appear to be platform staff around to deal with travel enquiries.
Rebecca Small told the Heral she couldn’t renew her mother’s senior railcard at the ticket office and was advised by West Midlands Railway to try elsewhere… like New Street, Birmingham.
Rebecca, 54, was looking forward to a family get together over Christmas in the New Forest with her mother, 82, but needed a new senior railcard.
“My options were to apply online and have the card posted but when I looked online on 16th December there’s a message to say the card may not arrive before Christmas,” Rebecca told the Herald. “Or I could have a digital copy on a smartphone but my mother doesn’t have a smartphone.
“I could apply at a staffed ticket office like Stratford, but that is closed despite West Midlands Railway website implying the ticket office is open every day of the week.
“When I asked them what my options were if the office remained closed, they suggested I go to Birmingham New Street, a three-hour round trip by train and not ideal for the elderly.”
She was told staff shortages due to sickness were the reason behind the ticket office closure.
Eventually Rebecca solved the problem. “My mother and I caught the train to Leamington, renewed the rail card and got to be with family in time for Christmas.”
The lack of an open ticket office has been raised by other Herald readers.
Helen Wallace, who lives in Stratford, said she doesn’t want to do everything online.
“I like to have contact and talk with someone at the counter when I get my ticket because there’s information you get from them which you never get online,” she said. “Recently, I was with ten people at the platform in Stratford. There was no one there in the ticket office and the train never turned up so I had to pay £40 for a taxi to Leamington where I just about caught my train in time.”
The Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Stratford, Manuela Perteghella, told the Herald that “rail bosses should hang their heads in shame.
She continued: “The community has staged protests about the closure of the ticket office in Stratford and although we welcomed the U-turn, if you go to the foyer it’s closed, there’s no-one there and it’s unacceptable.
“I have raised my concerns with West Midlands Railway and if there are staff shortages – organise a rota. We need an efficient rail service so people don’t get into their cars because there is an alternative.
“Stratford is a historic and well visited town and yet we don’t have a railway ticket office? It’s been closed for months and months. The rail bosses must get the ticket office open.”
A West Midlands Railway spokesperson said: “We are sorry that the ticket office at Stratford station has been closed recently due to staff sickness. We hope to reopen the ticket office soon.
“The ticket machine at Stratford is being regularly checked to ensure customers have access to tickets and passenger assists are being undertaken by on board train crew.
“Passengers enquiring about railcards can apply online or visit ticket offices at other stations to complete their purchase.”
