Emeregey Motion: E3 Review of London Underground ticket office closure programme

Congress notes that on 7 September 2016 the London Mayor announced London TravelWatch will carry out a review into the Tube ticket office closures programme.The review will be over a six-week period, starting 12 September and a report is expected to be published before the end of this year.

It will: “consider the impact of ticket office closures on passengers with the aim of ensuring that they can: travel safely on the Tube network; purchase the right ticket easily; access the information and support they need to get around London”.

Congress welcomes the review and notes that rail unions, communities, passenger and disability groups and a broad range of politicians campaigned to keep ticket offices and applauds that Tube workers took repeated industrial action to seek to prevent the closures.

Congress believes ticket offices should be retained and that the closures have been detrimental to passenger service, safety and accessibility and calls for the review to be genuinely open-minded and evidence-based, looking at all aspects including:

i     the particular benefits of keeping ticket offices

ii     the safety risks unleashed by the reduction of 800 frontline staff as a result of ticket offices closures

iii    the impact of the cuts on stations and station control rooms and on crime levels and accessibility, particularly for people with disabilities

iv    the need for more staff not less, especially in light of growing passenger numbers and security threats.

Congress also agrees to assist affiliates in their campaigning in respect of the review.

Mover: National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers

Seconder: Transport Salaried Staffs Association