More Tory assaults on the railways. I got this email yesterday from pro-nationalisation, pro-public services organisation We Own It about the government’s plans to close a thousand ticket offices. They’re planning to hold a day of action against it, and are inviting people to join them at their local ticket offices. I won’t be able to join the protests due to continuing illness, but I’m posting this up for those who may want to get involved.
‘Dear David,
Mick Lynch and the RMT have exposed the government’s plans to close almost 1000 ticket offices at train stations across England.
Closing ticket offices would be disastrous for passengers. We are joining forces with the RMT to oppose those plans – and you can help win this fight.
Can you take action at your local train station on Tuesday 23rd August to demand that our ticket offices stay open?
The rail workers union, the RMT, are fighting to end the privatisation of our railway and to stop cuts to rail services that we depend on, such as our ticket offices.
And as passengers we are joining them in that fight.
Closing our ticket offices would hit elderly, disabled and migrant railway passengers especially hard, but it would affect everyone.
It could make our railway stations a “mugger’s paradise”.
As Mick Lynch, the RMT General Secretary, explained: “Ticket office staff make sure our railways are safe, secure and accessible.
“Wholesale ticket office closures would be disastrous and leave our railway deserted. Disabled and elderly passengers will be particularly affected.”
The government’s plans to cut almost 1000 ticket offices across England must be opposed – and we are joining forces with rail workers to do just that.
Join an action near you on Tuesday 23rd August
There is a simple solution to our ever-increasing rail fares and the threat to key rail services like our ticket offices: public ownership of our railway.
By taking our trains into public ownership, we could save £1 billion every year.
That money could help us cut ticket prices by 18%, instead of hiking prices every year.
That money could also help us pay our rail workers better and keep our ticket offices open.
And public ownership is incredibly popular. Our brand new polling shows that 67% of the public, including 63% of Conservative voters, believe our railway should be in public ownership.
Great British Railways won’t be great without our ticket offices!
If you live in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, you can also take action in solidarity with England.
Join the fight to keep our ticket offices open
Thank you for standing up against the government’s plans to undermine our railway and our rail workers.
Cat, Alice, Kate, Matthew, Johnbosco – the We Own It team
PS: THANK YOU for being part of our campaign to bring Bulb into public ownership. The campaign is picking up steam with almost 20,000 people signing the petition and wide-spread press coverage including in the Express. Watch this space.’
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