Keighley & Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has backed local railway ticket offices after Northern Rail announced plans for closure.
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) unveiled the proposals, which could lead to nearly all ticket offices being shut, with facilities only remaining open at the busiest stations.
Under new plans for Keighley and Ilkley from Northern, passengers will be asked to pay for journeys by tapping contactless cards on barriers, using self-service machines, or buying tickets from staff on station concourses or trains.
But Mr Moore said the potential move would be "completely and utterly misjudged", with the local MP calling ticket offices a "vital service provision" and urging residents to submit their objections to the plans.
Objections to the proposals can be made directly to Northern by emailing [email protected] or by writing to, RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ.
The consultation deadline is 23.59 on 28 July 2023.
In a statement, Robbie Moore MP said:
Today, Northern revealed they plan to CLOSE their Ticket Offices at Keighley and Ilkley Railway Stations - and have now launched a public consultation on these plans.
In my view, closing our local ticket offices would be completely and utterly misjudged.
Ticket office closures will erode a vital service provision impacting those in our community who rely on their service to get around. Despite this closure proposal being put forward by Northern, they admit that more than 1 in 6 customers still use their Ticket Offices, so by going ahead with their plan, many passengers will be impacted.
Northern’s closure plans also severely negatively impact passengers because they have accessibility issues and require face-to-face assistance.
As your MP, I will be making my opposition to these plans clear to Northern.
I urge all passengers to officially submit their objections to these plans directly to Northern by emailing [email protected] or by writing to RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ before their consultation deadline - 23.59 on 28 July 2023.
