Sight Loss Charities Urge Rethink on Ticket Office Closures

Date posted: 12th July 2023

15 leading national and local sight loss charities have joined forces this week to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to object to proposals to close 974 railway station ticket offices across England.

Charities Thomas Pocklington Trust, RNIB, Guide Dogs, Macular Society, Retina UK, Blind Veterans UK, Glaucoma UK, Visionary, SeeAbility, Fight for Sight, Esme’s Umbrella, VICTA, Usher Kids, Metro Blind Sport and Sight Support West of England have lent their support to the letter.

In the letter, they describe proposals for ticket office closures as “unavoidably having a severe negative impact on blind and partially sighted people’s ability to purchase tickets, arrange assistance, and travel independently by rail”.

Mike Bell, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns at TPT said: “The consultation on ticket office closures is flawed and inaccessible to many blind and partially sighted people. It must be brought to a halt and the government and rail operators need to think again.”

This recent article published at the Guardian highlights the devastating impact and parliamentary opposition from MPs to the proposed closures of ticket offices.

TPT are campaigning to make sure that blind and partially sighted people respond to the national consultation and to encourage the train operating companies and Department for Transport to think again.

Act now!

You can read the letter to the Department for Transport below.

Letter to the Secretary of State for Transport