Maidenhead station ticket office facing closure under new nationwide proposals

Controversial plans to close ticket offices around the UK could see stations in and around Maidenhead affected.

Train companies have launched a passenger consultation on proposals to ‘modernise’ and bring a ‘long overdue update to customer service’ across the rail network.

Digital tickets means fewer people are using ticket offices so staff would be moved to ‘customer help’ roles on station platforms, concourses and ticket halls to offer ‘face-to-face’ support.

The consultations are happening as part of an industry-wide set of proposals to gradually phase out ticket offices, and against the backdrop of industrial action by rail unions RMT and ASLEF.

Data from the Rail Delivery Group revealed 82 per cent of all tickets were sold at ticket offices in the 1990s, compared to 12 per cent on average today, which accelerated during the pandemic.

The organisation said the proposals would allow the railway to respond to the ‘generational shift in customer behaviour’, as adopted by Transport for London, airlines, banks and supermarkets.

Around 43 per cent of stations do not currently have ticket offices and a further 40 per cent are staffed part-time.

Subject to consultation, a number of ticket office windows on the Great Western Railway network are set to close.

The company has published a list of indicative timetables for the changes, although a GWR spokesman said these were not set in stone.

Under the proposals, Maidenhead Station would see a phased approach, with the number of open windows reduced between October and June 2024 as staff ‘move closer to customers in other locations at the station to support and assist with ticket purchases’.

Ticket office windows would then close between September and December 2024.

The company is also looking to close ticket office windows at Bourne End, Cookham, Furze Platt, Twyford, Slough and Windsor and Eton Central at some point between October and June 2024.

Rail companies unveiled a series of pledges including: having more staff available across the network than today, supporting those with accessibility needs, treating rail staff fairly and offering them engaging new roles and customers never travelling out of their way to buy tickets.

The Rail Delivery Group said the reforms will not affect the Passenger Assist programme, which helps disabled and mobility-impaired customers.

But the rail union RMT has claimed the move will lead to job losses.

In a statement, it added: “This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network.”

Jacqueline Starr, Rail Delivery Group chief executive, said: “The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them.

“With just 12 per cent of tickets being sold from ticket offices last year, and 99 per cent of those transactions being available on TVMs (ticket machines) or online, our proposals would mean more staff on hand on to give face to face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.”

Independent passenger watchdogs will facilitate the 21-day public consultation. To participate, visit: www.gwr.com/haveyoursay and www.southwesternrailway.com/station-change-proposal before July 26.