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MPs of all major parties criticised government-led plans to close ticket offices across England in a Parliamentary debate on 13 September.
Led by West Dorset MP and former railwayman Chris Loder (Con), the debate was held in Westminster Hall at the same time as a Transport Select Committee hearing into the issue.
Opening the session, Mr Loder said: ‘I am here today on a mission. That mission is to ensure that the staffed hours at West Dorset railway stations are protected and definitely not slashed by more than 50%, as is currently proposed by South Western Railway in its station change consultation.’
While he agreed in principle with the policy of making ticket office staff more visible, he said: ‘behind the veil is the reality: at Sherborne station, the overall staffed hours will be 40% less than today; Crewkerne station in south Dorset, which serves the rural west of my constituency, will have its hours slashed by 50%; and the reality for Dorchester, the county town of Dorset,…