Southeastern Plans to Shut 40 Ticket Offices Across South London
Southeastern Railway has sparked outrage by revealing plans to close 40 ticket offices across south London. The rail operator launched a consultation on July 5 to hear public views on the controversial proposal.
Targeting Low-Traffic Ticket Offices
The closures will hit offices selling fewer than 50 tickets daily and where Pay As You Go options already exist. Instead, Southeastern will open new “travel centres” at its 14 busiest stations to handle ticket sales and travel advice.
A spokesperson disclosed that 16 of the affected stations sell 10 or fewer tickets each day. Sundridge Park in Bromley reportedly didn’t sell a single ticket in a four-week period last May. Brixton, St Johns, New Beckenham, and Lower Sydenham stations each averaged just one ticket a day.
Why Close Ticket Offices? Cost Cuts and Self-Service Push
Southeastern wants to redeploy staff to boost face-to-face customer support where it’s most needed and to promote self-service tech. The company cited a sharp drop in journeys — down 63 million since 2019 — as a driver to cut costs. As a public sector firm, it currently relies on taxpayer subsidies of over £1 million a day.
While some stations will see fewer staff, more training is promised to improve customer service. Plus, 18 currently unstaffed stations, such as Belvedere and Eden Park, will get new staff thanks to filling vacancies.
Long-Term Vision: End Ticket Offices in South London
Southeastern’s vision is to phase out all ticket offices in South London eventually. Another consultation this autumn will cover 90 more offices. The closures could roll out over two years, with the firm urging the public, staff, and unions to have their say.
The proposed travel centres will be located at major hubs like St Pancras International, Charing Cross, Victoria, London Bridge, Bromley South, and Dartford.
Rail Delivery Group Supports More Staff on Platforms
The same day, the Rail Delivery Group announced plans to move more staff from ticket offices to station platforms to boost face-to-face help. Consultations on these changes, led by Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, are set to start soon.
Steve White, Southeastern Managing Director, hit out: “An overhaul of how stations operate is long overdue. This consultation is about giving customers better support, more accessibility help, and cracking down on anti-social behaviour.”
For a full list of stations facing ticket office closure and those earmarked for travel centres, visit the Southeastern website and share your feedback during the consultation.
