Barnstaple call to save rail ticket office

GWR says cut will bring station 'up-to-date'

A plea is being made to help save Barnstaple Railway Station’s “well used” ticket office which, along with many others in the county, is planned for closure.

Shelving the office, where nearly half of all tickets are sold, will put those with disabilities and mobility problems and the elderly at a disadvantage, according to North Devon District Council leader Cllr Ian Roome (Lib Dem, Barnstaple North) at a full council meeting this week.

Through his Facebook page, he urged local residents and members of the public to take part in a consultation which is ending next week.

Train operators including Great Western Railway say that the proposals are to bring station retailing up-to-date from the mid-90s, when the rules on how tickets were sold were reviewed last, long before the invention of the smartphone.

Back then, they claim, an estimated 82 per cent of all sales were from ticket offices, compared to an average of 12 per cent today.

They say the changes will bring staff out from offices and make them more visible and accessible in stations during staffed hours, on ticket concourses and on platforms.

But Cllr Roome said there was a large number of elderly residents in North Devon and they were being penalised.

“I know a lot of people have smartphones, but a lot don’t and getting rid of the ticket office which has quite high usage is detrimental to our community here in North Devon.”

There were 77,466 tickets sold from the Barnstaple ticket office in the financial year 2022/23, around 45.5 per cent of tickets sold. Fewer than six per cent of tickets were sold at vending machines.

However, most journeys from the station were booked online.

“It is marginalising people with dyslexia and mobility problems and there is nothing that can substitute that face-to-face contact when you are buying a ticket,” said Cllr Roome. “A lot of people like to buy their tickets in advance from the office and have that reassurance and many elderly people still only use cash.

“The Barnstaple Ticket Office plays a crucial role in our town. It also plays a vital part in supporting the North Devon economy. By completing this consultation, we can make our voices heard and ensure that this essential service remains available to all.’

The consultation is available at https://www.transportfocus.org.uk