Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the proposed reductions in hours for our local Tube station ticket offices will take effect from this Sunday, 6 February (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/16277.aspx).

This is despite protests from many people, including the several hundred who signed petitions or forms on our Focus leaflets.  Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the the Lib Dem group on the GLA, who submitted the petitions to TfL has confirmed that TfL are pushing on ‘regardless of what we have all said’.  Questions that remain unanswered include how passengers can get tickets that are not sold through the machines, and how ‘pay as you go’ passengers can use the vouchers that TfL issues to them when they have suffered a delayed journey.   

Focus has protested to TfL that the introduction of the new arrangements is not (or has not been certainly until yesterday, 2 February) announced in any way at South Woodford station, at least.

Just to remind you, the planned ticket office opening hours for South Woodford station are:

Westbound (City) platform office: closed

Eastbound (Epping) office:

 – 0715 to 0945 on weekdays

– 1030 to 1425 on Saturdays

– 1030 to 1200 on Sundays

And at Woodford station 

–  Westbound (City): closed

– Eastbound (Epping):

– 0645 – 1115 and 1700 – 1815 weekdays

 – 0900 – 1500 Saturdays

– 1000 – 1200 Sundays

Notwithstanding TfL’s assurances that staff will be able to help anyone who needs it, we are concerned that some people will encounter problems at the stations because of the lack of a ticket office – disabled people, elderly people, people with children or strangers to London.  If you do know of any such problems please let the Focus team know so that we can continue to put pressure on TfL to ensure that all passengers get a fair deal.