Southend West MP Anna Firth has continued her fight for disabled passengers on the c2c rail network.
Responding to Transport Focus’ consultation on planned ticket office closures at local train stations, Firth called for disabled passengers to always be able to access the support and assistance that they need. She stated that she was ‘especially worried’ about the blind and partially sighted, who are unable to use touchscreen ticket machines.
The consultation comes following the news that the ticket offices at Chalkwell and Leigh-on-Sea stations could be permanently closed. Instead, there will be dedicated ‘floorwalkers’ in the station to help passengers buy tickets and with other enquiries.
Following the announcement, a formal consultation on the proposed changes was opened.
In her response, Firth also highlighted the need for passengers to be able to access all services from ticket machines that are currently available from ticket offices, such as season tickets and refunds, calling for an upgrade to the controversial new ticket machines. She also called for better communication of the proposed increase to the hours that stations are manned.
Firth’s formal response to the consultation, which closes today, came after the campaigning MP spoke up in the House of Commons on 6th July, when she said: ‘innovation must never be used as an excuse to exclude any of my constituents or deliver a worse service. The blind and partially sighted… cannot access the touchscreen ticket machines and need a person to help them buy that ticket.’ She called on the Transport Minister to assure her that there would always be somebody available at Leigh-on-Sea and Chalkwell ticket stations to help the blind and partially sighted, the elderly, and anyone else who needs help.
Commenting on the letter, Anna said:
“Whilst I very much welcome the rollout of contactless ticketing along the c2c line, this innovation cannot come at the expense of passenger safety or mean that people have a worse service. I have been contacted by a number of concerned residents about the proposals to shut ticket offices at our local stations, and I have raised these concerns in the House of Commons. I wanted to respond formally to the Transport Focus consultation to share my concerns, as well as those that have been raised with me by local residents.
Railways are a vital part of our local infrastructure, and I will continue to campaign to ensure that they are accessible to everyone.”
