Railway Ticket Office Closures (and a bit more)

 I have emailed Avanti and Northern (copying our MP) in the following terms:

'EDEN VALLEY CYCLING UK

REPRESENTATIONS ON THREATENED CLSOURE OF RAILWAY TICKET OFFICES – PENRITH AND APPLEBY  JULY 23

I am the Campaigns Officer of Eden Valley Cycling UK Group.

A             Background:

1.            The prospect of closing Ticket Offices at any railway station threatens the use of rail service and good relationships between cyclists and the railways.

2.            There are many things that might be done to encourage cyclists back into regular use of the railways; in particular the reinstatement of ‘Guards Vans’ where extensive space for transporting larger items as well as cycles of all descriptions  used to be provided.
As recently as 2018 we were able to take our cycles in such a carriage from Newcastle to London for the Prudential Ride London. I understand the carriage was regarded as ‘old’ and accordingly was to be withdrawn from service.

3.            As a club we used (before Covid) to travel out of our area for a ‘Club Week’. We are restarting this but are not able to consider rail transport  out of our area because of the limitations on numbers of cycles on any train and bookings issues.

4.            The railways should be making proper provision for cyclists on a substantial scale. 

5.            Recently I and three others from our village went on a cycling holiday from Cumbria over to Newcastle and down to Peterborough.  We had four ‘road bikes’ with panniers. We came back north as far as Darlington by train. The cycle provision was  4 hooks, 2 in each of the single small compartments either side of the passageway. Our Road Bikes all had ‘drop’ handlebars which are generally less wide than ‘Flat’ bars (the latter often also used on road bikes  and generally  on Off Road bikes). So cramped are the cycle enclosures there was a substantial risk of damage to the bikes, particularly the gear mechanisms, not to say to those lifting the cycles from awkward positions. The panniers had to be taken off and stored elsewhere thus causing further difficulties for other passengers, as well  as ourselves,  at the times of loading and taking the bikes off.

6.            ‘Cycles of all descriptions’: 
6.1          many cycles are two wheeled and relatively light;  by no means all bikes are so.
6.2          Cycles of other descriptions  include, mountain bikes, upright tricycles, recumbent bikes (2 wheeled), recumbent trikes (3 wheeled).  Up until recently, generally, cycles were not power assisted (‘eBikes’). In our Club now often half the participants ride eBikes. The train cycle provision I describe above was wholly unsuitable for these, incapable of being used. 

7.            ‘Cyclists ‘ are people who ride. The power driving may be by leg(s) / arm(s), assisted by electric motor or not. They may do more than one sort of the activity.

8              The activities include:
8.1          ‘Utility cycling’ getting to work / shopping  by ‘green’ transport
8.2          leisure  / social – meeting with friends / companionship riding
8.3          competitive –  racing, ‘Audax’,’ Sportives’
8.4          general health - balance, heart, concentration, low impact exercise (on well set up bikes – pedalling should not generally hurt joints) – enabling people, even with particular inhibiters.

9.            For many,  eBikes enable people to start or continue getting out and about in a way they would not but for the electric assistance. There has been a very strong increase of eBike cyclists on and off the road in the last few years. Dimensions of many cycles have increased. Many, many cyclists could not singly lift their bike into and down out of a railway carriage. Many would not be able to store their cycle within the compartments I describe above. It may well be said that the present provision of accommodation for cyclists on many, if not all, railway trains in England discriminates against an increasing sector of the population.

Ticket sales:

10.               With the railway system in England being in the ownership of several  structured bodies (from Private Enterprise to wholly Publicly owned) booking even for solo pedestrians, can be fraught. It is possible to book a reservation for a person who is then unable to book a cycle onto the same train. A friend recently had such an experience at our local station when he booked  himself on a train expecting to take his bike with him on that train. A Ticket person on duty at the Penrith Station helped him when this was not possible, booking his cycle on a later train on the same day with another railway company (including dealing with the funding issues consequent on it).  

 

11.               The ease of making bookings for some trains depends on the train company, some are more accessible than others. Making a booking for a single bike is generally easier than for a group; for some it is easier to book the bikes first and passengers second!

 

12.               Having proper levels of staffing on platforms is essential (e.g. for eBikes).  Having no Ticket Office leaves potential passengers with no option but to seek assistance of staff who would otherwise be on platforms which would leave demand for increased personel!

13.               Although many aspects of life are open to access by the internet we are not universally intellectually, academically or monetarily able to use the internet effectively. Many, faced with trying to book their travel on a train through a computer / phone are not going to catch a train. Loss of ticketed persons through closure of Ticket Offices may represent a small loss in percentage of passengers in the short term. In number terms It is likely there will be a substantial loss of people not accessing rail services even when it is a better integrated / serviced.

 

14.               Train travel should be a first thought for people if we are to achieve reductions in our pollutions. Closing ticket offices represent a backward step in encouraging and achieving conversion to rail transport. Indeed it is likely the closures would reduce  travel by rail thereby also increasing  the cost of provision of the rail service.

Nigel Longworth.'