Final call for station opinion

Campaigners bidding to stop the closure of the ticket office at Spalding Station are encouraging people to sign a petition against it as the consultation deadline looms.

A number of people including Jan Whitbourn and MP Sir John Hayes have backed the campaign.
District councillor Whitbourn has been directing people to a national petition which, if it gets 100,000 signatories, will mean it has to be discussed in the Houses of Parliament.
East Midlands Railway, along with a host of companies in the country, are looking to remove manned ticket offices in many stations across the country.
They are arguing that there is no longer a need for such a service as more people buy tickets in advance online.
But campaigners say many do still need the face-to-face service.
East Midlands Trains have said there won’t be any initial redundancies, but campaigners are worried staff not manning the counter will be let go eventually.
A joint statement by Coun Whitbourn and Coun Gary Taylor states: “As councillors in Spalding, we write to support the strong defence of local rail users made by our excellent MP, Sir John Hayes.
“Along with him, we are campaigning to persuade East Midlands Railway (EMR) to abandon plans to close the ticket office at Spalding Railway Station.
“This will have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable rail users who may need personal help at the station.
“As well as this, the advice provided by the station staff is important for all rail users facing the possibility of delays and cancellations, the need for information on connections and different ticket prices.
“The consultation on the proposed changes by EMR is currently open and we urge all readers to sign the petition which reflects the campaign we and Sir John, with other concerned people, are running.”
The petition on the government website is called ‘Require train operators keep ticket offices and platform staff at train stations’.