Three Local Overground Ticket Offices Earmarked for Closure

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Shepherd's Bush, Olympia and Imperial Wharf among 51 stations on Arriva Rail's list

Three busy local Overground stations look set to lose their ticket offices if plans recently announced by Arriva Rail London proceed.

Stations at Shepherd's Bush, Kensington Olympia and Imperial Wharf on Fulham's riverside are all extremely well used, not just by local people but by visitors coming to Westfield and Olympia London and in the case of Imperial Wharf, by tourists staying in two large nearby hotels.

Despite this, Arriva Rail claim demand at these stations does not warrant the continued operation of the offices and have started the formal process of obtaining the necessary permission to shut them down.

The closures would leave our borough with no ticket offices on the London Overground network, as the only other station, West Brompton, already does not have one.

 

Our local stations are among a list of 51 which Arriva are planning to close.

The full list of stations is:

Acton Central, Anerley, Brondesbury, Brondesbury Park, Bruce Gove, Bush Hill Park, Caledonian Road & Barnsbury, Camden Road, Canonbury, Carpenders Park, Clapton, Dalston Kingsland, Dalston Junction, Finchley Road & Frognal, Gospel Oak, Hackney Central, Hackney Downs, Hackney Wick, Haggerston, Hampstead Heath, Hatch End, Headstone Lane, Homerton, Honor Oak Park, Hoxton, Imperial Wharf, Kensal Rise, Kensington (Olympia), Kentish Town West, Kilburn High Road, Penge West, Rectory Road, Rotherhithe, Shadwell, Shepherds Bush, Shoreditch High Street, Silver Street, South Acton, South Hampsted, Southbury, St James Street, Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, Surrey Quays, Theobalds Gove, Turkey Street, Wapping, Watford High Street, West Hampstead, White Hart Lane and Wood Street.

The RMT Union have launched a campaign against the closures as they believe it will make it harder to buy tickets and will particularly affect the elderly and the disabled. They also say that understaffed stations will make it harder to provide a safe and secure environment at these stations. 

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "I am calling on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to oppose this retrograde plan for wholesale closures in the strongest possible terms. Ticket offices play a crucial role at train stations. 

" London needs to welcome its passengers, visitors and tourists not with a machine, but a welcoming and friendly ticket office who can provide a full range of services.

" This is just the latest attack on a properly staffed, safe, secure and accessible railway for all and RMT is determined to halt these plans in their tracks."

London TravelWatch wants to hear from passengers who have a view on these change. They can comment on the proposals through an online survey which runs until 11 October.

Comments can also be sent to consultations@londontravelwatch.org.uk or by post to 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL.

London TravelWatch has a statutory role to assess the impact and make recommendations if proposals are made for the closure of a railway line or a station (or station facilities) within the London railway area.

Arthur Leathley, Chair of London TravelWatch said: "‘We want to ensure that passengers can still purchase all the tickets that they need after these proposed changes. There must also be suitable provision of information and security if the ticket offices at these stations were to close.

"We will review the responses we receive from passengers to our survey and make a recommendation to the Department for Transport based on these and other information we receive."

September 25, 2018