If the closure of railway ticket offices goes ahead as planned, the Rail Delivery Group says redeployment of the workforce will extend the hours staff will be on duty to assist passengers at the busiest stations.
Several stations close to High Barnet will have their booking halls and concourses manned until later in the evening providing an added safeguard for passengers.
At most North London stations, the presence of a member of staff to help passengers with ticket purchase or queries will match the existing opening hours of ticket offices.
But there are exceptions. Data published by the Rail Delivery Group lists local stations which will be manned until later in the evening on weekdays and at weekends.
At New Barnet station there will be a member of staff on duty until 23.15 hours on weekdays; until 21.00 hours at Mill Hill Broadway; and until 23.15 at Elstree and Borehamwood. (For full details, see below).
An initial three-week consultation period for the closure of ticket offices -- and the introduction of new “customer help” roles for the staff – has been extended until September 1 after any outcry from passengers and rail users’ groups.
Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, welcomed the extra time for consultations with the public but said she would continue to oppose ticket office closures unless she received further assurances.
She said Govia Thameslink, which operates services at New Barnet, Oakleigh Park, and New Southgate, needed to do more to ensure passengers had straight-forward access to tickets.
“This requires easy-to-use ticket machines.
“Govia Thameslink must provide commitments on the quality of ticket machines, on the speed with which faults will be remedied, and advice on what happens to passengers who board a train having been unable to buy a ticket because a machine in broken.”
During recent strike action the RMT rail union has voiced its opposition to the ticket office closures which have met fierce criticism from disability groups and passengers.
The RMT doubts whether the switch of staff from ticket office to a roving presence around a station concourse will be as effective, or as much help for passengers – an argument which union representatives believe is fully justified by the layout out at New Barnet.
The ticket office is at the Station Approach end of the footbridge, next to the bus terminus and car park, and it is the designated meeting point.
From the footbridge, there are two separate steep flights of steps leading down to card-operated barriers for platforms 1 and 2 and the separate entrance to platforms 3 and 4.
RMT members believe they are best placed to help passengers if they remain on duty in the ticket office where they can assist with the purchase of tickets or sort out problems with ticket machines.
Rail Delivery Group data on redeployment of ticket office staff indicates the hours staff are currently on duty the hours they will be available in future to help with ticket purchase and queries:
New Barnet
Current ticket office opening hours: weekdays, 06.20 to 12.45; 15.15 to 19.15; Saturdays, 08.45 to 15.10; Sundays closed.
Proposed ticket assistance hours: weekdays, 06.15 to 23.15; Saturdays, 07.15 to 15.15; Sundays, 07.15 to 22.15.
Elstree and Borehamwood
Current ticket office opening hours: weekdays, 06.00 to 20.30; Saturdays, 06.00 to 20.30; Sundays, 06.30 to 21.15.
Proposed ticket assistance hours: weekdays, 06.00 to 23.15; Saturdays, 07.00 to 23.15; Sundays, 06.30 to 21.30.
Mill Hill Broadway
Current ticket office opening hours: weekdays, 06.00 to 19.30; Saturdays, 07.30 to 19.00; Sundays, 09.00 to 18.00.
Proposed ticket assistance hours: weekdays, 05.45 to 21.00; Saturdays, 07.00 to 21.00; Sundays, 08.45 to 21.00.
New Southgate
Current ticket office opening hours: weekdays, 06.30 to 11.30; Saturdays and Sundays, closed.
Proposed ticket assistance hours: weekdays, 06.30 to 11.30; Saturdays and Sundays, closed.
Oakleigh Park
Current ticket office opening hours: weekdays, 06.30 to 12.55; Saturdays, 08.30 to 14.30; Sundays, closed.
Proposed ticket assistance hours: weekdays, 06.30 to 12.55; Saturdays, 08.30 to 14.30; Sundays, closed.
Hadley Wood
Current ticket office opening hours: weekdays, 06.35 to 10.00; Saturdays and Sundays, closed.
Proposed ticket assistance hours: weekdays, 06.35 to 10.00; Saturdays and Sundays, closed.
