West Dunbartonshire Council unanimously agrees to oppose Scotrail ticket office cuts

dailyrecord.co.uk:

West Dunbartonshire Council’s chief executive will write to Scotrail and the Scottish Government’s transport minister to oppose proposals to cut hours at local railway ticket offices.At a special meeting this afternoon, members unanimously agreed that chief executive Joyce White should write to her counterpart at Scotrail, and to Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth, to formally reaffirm West Dunbartonshire Council’s opposition to the ticket office and opening hours reductions.An addendum from council leader Jonathan McColl also called for the consultation period to be extended from three weeks, which is due to end on Wednesday (February 2).If Scotrail’s plans get the green light, opening times at Alexandria, Balloch, Cardross, Dumbarton Central, Dalreoch and Helensburgh Central will be reduced.The plans include changes to opening times at Alexandria which would operate between 9.15am and 2.45pm on a Saturday as opposed to the current times of 6.30am until 11.30pm.Dumbarton Central’s office, which is open until midnight Monday to Saturday, would shut at 8pm, while on Sundays it would close at 4pm instead of the current 11.10pm.Labour councillor for Kilpatrick, Douglas McAllister, said: "We all know that tickets can be bought online, it's more than just that.

Staff play a vital role in reducing anti-social and criminal behaviour at our stations."They play a vital role in giving passengers assistance and advice in relation to travel.

A staffed station is a safe station."A closed ticket office is a closed station. And therefore an unsafe station for the old, for our young people, for women, for the vulnerable and for all of us."And council leader Jonathan McColl, of the SNP, added: "A three week consultation is nonsense.