RMT racks up another important victory in campaign to halt London Overground ticket office closures
RAIL UNION RMT today racked up another important victory in the campaign to halt the London Overground ticket office closure programme but warned that the battle is far from over.
At a packed London Travelwatch board meeting today the independent passenger watchdog recognised that the proposal from Arriva Rail London to close 51 ticket offices ”is not a clear cut situation” and they need more answers to questions which were raised.
London Travelwatch said that: “As a passenger body it was entirely legitimate that the board raised its concerns and that it gets answers”. The two main areas were issues around the capability of ticket machines and the level of footfall at these stations, which for 39 of them is well over a million entries and exits a year.
Mick Cash RMT General Secretary said;
”I welcome the interim decision of the board and hope that all the genuine concerns of passengers and staff around safety, accessibility, security and machine reliability are looked at and fully taken into account before any final decision is made. RMT believes firmly that there is no case for any closures. Today we have recorded another important victory in our campaign to halt the ticket office closure programme but the battle is far from over.
“I repeat again that London Mayor Sadiq Khan should heed the calls of passengers and their representatives and withdraw now his support from this flawed plan to close the ticket offices”.