MSP urges new Scottish transport minister to reject ScotRail plans to reduce staff at North Lanarkshire ticket offices

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Central Scotland MSP has written to new transport minister Kevin Stewart urging him to reject ScotRail’s plans to reduce staffing at rail ticket offices in North Lanarkshire.Richard Leonard, who is also the convener of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ Scottish Parliamentary group, says the cuts at booking offices would "threaten jobs, leave passengers less safe and undermine the fight against climate change".The former Scottish Labour leader has highlighted how the proposal would mean a cut of 38-and-a-half hours a week at Airdrie train station and 24-and-a-half hours a week - almost 60 per cent - at Shotts.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Across Scotland the plans represent a cut of more than one third of current staffing at over 80 per cent of stations with the loss of more than 3200 hours of staff time per week - equivalent to over 92 full-time jobs.In his letter to the the new transport minister, Mr Leonard said: "“There are many reasons to reject these proposals, not least of which relate to passenger safety and environmental considerations."One quarter of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions relate to transport - and car usage makes up 40 per cent of transport emissions.”Mr Leonard also points out that staffed ticket offices “assist passengers with