Celebration for station supporters

The news that Spalding railway station will continue to have a manned ticket office is on the right tracks for campaigners.

There has been a lot of local opposition to a proposal to stop having manned offices, with most tickets now bought online.
Of the 120,000 signatures on a petition to parliament, South Holland residents were the sixth highest in the country.
And on Tuesday Transport secretary Mark Harper announced the train companies including East Midlands Trains which operates Spalding station, should keep the ticket offices manned.
Mr Harper said the proposals ‘do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers’.
One of those who led the campaign locally was district councillor Jan Whitbourn.
“I am overwhelmed and delighted with the news,” she said. “It’s been hard work, but it’s all been worth it.
“We are very lucky to have great staff in Spalding and I am so happy for them and the passengers who use the station.
“I just want to thank all the people who signed our petition and got behind this campaign.
“I hope attention will now turn to securing the station facilities for the long term.
“I am just delighted that we were able to stop these proposals. It is a huge win for Spalding, a huge win for South Holland and a huge win for constituents.”
Sir John Hayes MP for South Holland and the Deepings said he’d spoken to Mr Harper in the House of Commons about the issue and met with East Midlands Trains director Will Rodgers at the station.
“It’s great news,” Sir John said. “We really fought a tough campaign and it was a really good team effort all round.
“It shows we can make a difference on behalf of local people.
“I think a few people thought it would be a ‘fait accompli’ but it does go to show that ministers do indeed listen.”

Louise Rubin, head of policy at disability equality charity Scope said: “This is a victory for the hundreds of thousands of disabled people who called out the absurdity of closing ticket offices.  

“These plans made no sense in the context of our inaccessible rail network, and would have resulted in more people being stranded without the support they need. 

“We’re pleased the Government has halted these plans in their tracks, but they can’t stop here. One in four of us is disabled. Government must now create long-overdue changes so that every disabled person can use our transport system with confidence.”