First Capital to cut ticket office staff at 28 stations

ONE of London's biggest commuter rail companies is planning to cut ticket office staff in the evenings and weekends to save money.

First Capital Connect wants to reduce ticket office opening times at 28 busy stations and replace staff with machines.

Today unions and a rail watchdog warned passengers would be left fearing for their safety- and could end up paying more for tickets.

The stations would include Elephant and Castle, Harringay, Hornsey, Luton Airport Parkway, New Southgate, Stevenage and Tooting.

FCC, which runs commuter services from King's Cross and on the former Thameslink line, is owned by transport giant First Group, which made interim operating profits of £48.3 million in the six months to 30 September last year.

Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, largest of the rail unions, said: "These cuts would see some stations lose their ticket offices entirely at the weekend and leave stations inadequately staffed at weekends and in the evening. That can only make passengers feel less secure."

He said the cuts would mean a total reduction of 800 hours a week in opening hours and the loss of up to 22 jobs.

Passenger fears over unstaffed stations have been highlighted by the Evening Standard's Safer Stations campaign, launched in 2006 after the murder of Tom ap Rhys Pryce as he left the unmanned Silverlink station at Kensal Green.

Despite calls for stations to be staffed until the last train runs, rail operators are moving in the opposite direction.

South West Trains, which runs services into Waterloo, plans to reduce opening hours at 114 ticket offices to save cash. Its parent company, Stagecoach, recorded a 25 per cent increase in its £31.7 million operating profits for the six months ending 31 October.

A government decision on whether to allow the SWT cuts is expected shortly.

The RMT today launched a campaign among passengers and MPs to halt the cuts. The union urged travellers to lodge objections with Passenger Focus, the national rail watchdog, by 3 February.

A watchdog spokesman said it opposed any plans to reduce ticket office opening hours. "Passengers tell us they want to see staff at stations for advice and assistance on ticket sales," he said.

Passengers preferred to use ticket offices even when machines were available, he added. Those unfamiliar with the machines could choose the wrong ticket and be charged a penalty fare.

An FCC spokesman said ticket machines now account for a third of sales "and are preferred by increasing numbers of customers". He said 18 "station roles" would go but there would be no compulsory redundancies.