Passengers have raised concerns with us regarding the new ticket office arrangement at Newcastle’s Central Station. The ticket office room has now closed and been replaced with a new combined information and ticket kiosk in front of the departure screens on the station concourse.
Not only is the new kiosk partially obstructing the view to some of the departure boards, but it’s positioned in busiest noisiest area of the station, which has lead to concerns that those with hearing impairments will struggle to hear staff.
NEPTUG has written the following letter to LNER who manages the station, and is awaiting their response.
Dear LNER,
We are writing on behalf of passengers who use Newcastle station to express our deep concerns about the new ticket office arrangements at the station. For a number of years the previous ticket office next to the former Platform 12 has provided a facility for passengers to seek advice, buy complex tickets, and gain assistance from members of staff. There were numerous windows but despite this often long queues at busy times.
This week, the old ticket office has been closed and replaced with a small information window with two positions. A number of our members have been in touch with us to point out numerous problems with this new arrangement. They include:
- The new information point blocking visibility of the main departure screens at the station.
- Only one window out of the two being open at peak times meaning long queues and people missing trains as a result, especially if transactions are complex.
- Terrible acoustics on the station concourse meaning it is almost impossible to hear the people in the ticket office. This is particularly difficult for people with hearing impairment.
- Mixing of ticket selling and information functions, meaning that during disruptions the ticket window becomes crowded with passengers seeking information and it cannot serve both purposes effectively.
We urge you to reconsider this new arrangement and continue to provide ticket sales in a dedicated office, away from the busy concourse and where passengers can hear. We would welcome an opportunity to meet with you and discuss how you will mitigate these issues for passengers, especially in light of equality concerns for people with disabilities.
Alistair Ford
Newcastle Branch Chair.
Photos courtesy of Simon Davison.
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