Shropshire railway ticket offices on closure list

Railway ticket offices in Shropshire and mid Wales could close if government plans for unstaffed stations go ahead, it was claimed today.

One in four railway ticket offices in England and Wales are on a hit list according to transport union the Transport Salaried Staffs Association.

It has named ticket offices including Ludlow, Newtown, Leominster, Llandrindod Wells and Machynlleth on a "hit list" of 675 stations nationwide.

It also names Gobowen station, near Oswestry, although its platform booking office is run by private not-for-profit company Severn Travel.

The union said the list appears in a report drawn up by Sir Roy McNulty on how to achieve savings in the railway industry, but was not published in the executive summary.

Its leader Gerry Doherty called on Transport Secretary Philip Hammond to reject the cutbacks. He said: "Not only are unmanned stations less secure, tickets bought from machines are usually more expensive."

The union is launching a campaign to tour the party conferences over the next four weeks, urging MPs to save their local ticket offices.

The Government is expected to respond fully next month to the report, which says the railway industry could make savings of £1 billion a year.

Officials said at least one or two ticket office staff are employed at the stations, warning that more than 1,000 jobs could be axed if the closures go ahead.