Good news on Barnes station

The government has told South West Trains (SWT) where to go over its plans to substantially reduce ticket office opening hours at Barnes Station.

Companies like SWT, as well as running trains, also have responsibility for stations on routes they operate, including Barnes, Putney and Wandsworth Town. Barnes' ticket office currently opens from 6.25am to 8.05pm on weekdays, from 6.40am to 8.15pm on Saturdays and from 9.10am to 4.40pm on Sundays,

SWT had planned to close the ticket office entirely on Sundays, operate a cursory service on Saturdays and significantly cut back during the week. But what the operator is actually being allowed to get away with are broadly similar hours to what we have now: 6.45am-6.45pm weekdays, 7am-7pm Saturdays and 10am-1pm Sundays.

I am really concerned about the unacceptable and widening gap between increasing fares, increasing customers but at the same time declining services. The argument goes that taxpayers should subsidise railways less which means customers paying an increasing share - but that's a false choice: the bulk of the subsidy for public transport should come not from rail users or general taxation but from less environmentally-friendly modes of transport.

Ticket offices are more than just a place to buy fares and ask for train information: they help with security at stations - especially at places like Barnes in the middle of nowhere. I'm working hard to get SWT to honour its promise to improve Putney Station and it's why it's good news that the Barnes ticket office is staying open.