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To: Abellio ScotRail & Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland

Stop the cuts to ScotRail ticket offices

Train operator ScotRail is proposing to reduce the opening hours at 117 ticket offices across Scotland, including closing three ticket offices altogether (Cartsdyke, Clydebank & Woodhall). Nearly all of its ticket offices will be affected by these proposals. You can see the list of affected stations here - https://www.scotrail.co.uk/scotrail-ticket-office-consultation

RMT is opposed to these cuts which we believe will worsen passenger service, safety, security and accessibility. RMT is calling on Abellio ScotRail to withdraw its proposals, and for the Scottish Government, which is already managing the franchise under its Emergency Measures Agreement, and will be running it directly in the public sector from 1 April 2022, to scrap the proposed cuts and commit to keeping all of ScotRail's ticket offices open.

Why is this important?

These proposals are short-sighted and regressive. If these cuts go ahead, it will worsen passenger service, safety, security and accessibility.

Research by the passenger watchdog Transport Focus has shown that passengers value the presence of staff on the railway, and that they want to see more, not less, staff. Yet, under ScotRail's proposals there is no guarantee that staff will remain present at the station when the ticket offices would be closed. RMT also believes that cuts to hours make it easier to reduce staffing or close more ticket offices in the future.

Cuts to ticket office hours ignore the wide range of advice, services and assistance passengers get at the ticket office which cannot be replicated by machines or online ticketing.

Rail travel is a sustainable and low carbon form of transport and has a key role to play in meeting Scotland's climate change targets. Yet these cuts will deter passengers from using the railway.

From 1 April 2022, the Scottish Government will be running ScotRail directly in the public sector. It is nonsensical that the outgoing operator, Dutch-state owned Abellio, is being permitted to consult on cuts to ticket offices at a franchise it will no longer be managing in just a number of weeks. RMT believes it is clear that the Scottish Government has the power to intervene and scrap these proposals and is calling on it to do so as a matter of urgency.

Transport Focus is consulting on ScotRail's proposals. In addition to signing this petition, RMT is urging members of the public to respond to the consultation and oppose the cuts. If particular, it is important to use the consultation response to highlight the impact of the cuts at your local station/s. You must submit your consultation response by 2nd February 2022. You can respond via post or email to: Transport Focus Freepost (RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ), PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ or [email protected]

Scotland, UK

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Updates

2022-01-19 15:41:24 +0000

1,000 signatures reached

2022-01-18 17:41:08 +0000

500 signatures reached

2022-01-18 11:13:44 +0000

100 signatures reached

2022-01-18 10:51:14 +0000

50 signatures reached

2022-01-18 10:14:56 +0000

25 signatures reached

2022-01-18 09:52:29 +0000

10 signatures reached