National Rail extends consultation on ill-thought out plans

Train operators are extending the time available to respond to the consultation reviewing how tickets are sold at stations by an extra five and a half weeks. It means passengers will now have until 1 September to complete the consultation, which they can do online on their local train company website or by visiting www.transportfocus.org.uk.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “While the extension of the consultation is good, we shouldn’t have been in this position in the first place. National Rail have only backed down in the face of legal threats that the consultation was discriminatory, but the whole proposal threatens to hit people who are blind or visually impaired the most.

“These proposals will massively cut the amount of time staff are at available. Ticket machines have been shown to be difficult to use for many people with disabilities, not to mention the removal of staff’s expertise in getting people the right fares. 

“Many ticket machines are card only, and forcing people to use those instead of ticket offices could be a massive safety risk for people who are escaping domestic abuse. If a partner has online access to a bank account and the only way to pay is by card, abusive partners will know exactly where someone fleeing violence is heading.

“Changing the way support is provided to rail users is very welcome, but this is a poorly thought through proposal which will put jobs, support – and possibly people – at risk.”