Protest held against plan to close ticket office at Penrith railway station

A protest was held at Penrith railway station on Monday against the planned closure of its ticket office, along with many others nationwide.

The demonstration was organised by the RMT rail workers’ union with support form local rail users.

Among those who turned out to the protest were town councillors Hilary Snell (Penrith West) and Deb Holden (Carlton Ward) and Dr Virginia Taylor, councillor for Penrith South on the Westmorland and Furness authority.

The Avanti West Coast-operated Penrith ticket office and Northern run Appleby office are among those earmarked for closure along with 1,000 others nationwide including those at Carlisle and Oxenholme.

Commenting earlier on the plan, 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 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.”