SCOTRAIL, in public ownership since April 2022, is proposing to reduce station ticket office opening hours in stations across Scotland.

The Scottish government Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop MSP, in response to a question in Parliament from Richard Leonard MSP last month, advised MSPs that she had considered the proposed changes carefully and was content with them.

“Content with proposals” that have not been scrutinised by the public, proposals that were not shared with the disabled passenger body Mobility and Access Committee Scotland, proposals that will impact on other station facilities such as waiting rooms and toilet facilities where currently provided, proposals to which the trade unions are opposed. RMT has accused ScotRail of misleading the public.

ScotRail Trains Limited is owned and overseen by Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd (SRH Ltd), a company wholly owned by the Scottish government.

In March 2023, the then Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth MSP spoke to the publication of Transport Scotland research on women and girls safety on public transport: “During our research, women and girls told us they shoulder significant responsibility for adapting their own behaviour to try to ‘be’ and ‘feel’ safe on public transport.

“They are often in a constant state of vigilance, particularly at night time, and as a result end up changing their plans — only travelling at certain points of the day or not using public transport altogether. This is simply not acceptable in 21st century Scotland.”

Under the latest ScotRail proposals, there will hardly be a ScotRail station open in the evenings. Combined with trying to avoid peak fares, resulting possibly in returning home after the rush-hour times, we will see more women and girls moving away from rail travel.

The increase in anti-social behaviour on trains and around stations has been raised repeatedly by rail unions and passenger bodies. British Transport Police staffing levels still fall below what is needed, and the effectiveness of the introduction of additional revenue protection officers posts is still to be fully evaluated.

Despite ScotRail’s claims that only 54 stations would be affected, RMT analysis reveals that 101 stations — or 70 per cent of the network’s staffed locations — will face significant reductions in ticket office hours, jeopardising the safety, accessibility and quality of passenger service across Scotland.

There are a few improvements in the proposals, including new Sunday opening hours for ticket offices at a few stations, which will be welcomed, but the scale of the cutbacks during the week is significant.

Ticket offices are the only regulated staffing requirement at stations, and as RMT points out, closing these offices opens the door for staffing reductions by stealth, with no obligation in the future for ScotRail to consult the public.

Some examples from RMT analysis show that Dalmarnock station faces a 90 per cent reduction, losing 96 hours weekly, and Wemyss Bay would see a 61 per cent cut, reducing service by 70 hours per week. Ardrossan South Beach is set to lose 60 per cent of its hours, a cut of 69 hours each week.

The Cabinet Secretary spoke in Parliament of ScotRail being able to “deploy staff” more effectively, which suggests that as existing booking office hours are reduced, current staff will be deployed to unspecified locations, maybe to run ticket barrier checks for big events, or for other short notice operational reasons — this does not provide stability for staff nor reliability for passengers if it is not known from one day to the next if any particular station will be staffed.

In April 2022, the then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP, speaking at Glasgow Queen Street Station, said bringing ScotRail into public ownership was a “historic and momentous occasion.”

“This new beginning creates a real opportunity to deliver a railway which is for the nation, and fully focused on being run for the benefit of its users  — customers, staff and stakeholders, as opposed to shareholders.”

Why can the vision for Scotland’s Railway not include bringing back a greater staff presence in our stations? Increasing staff numbers and increasing station ticket office opening hours should be considered. Where facilities already exist, with buildings and offices in place, why not trial extending the opening hours?

This could increase passenger confidence with regard to travelling, and would certainly increase access to advice on, and purchase of, tickets, particularly for those who cannot use machines or access online sales.

Public ownership is back on the agenda at a Britain-wide level, with the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 now on the statute book. This should be the opportunity to improve services, investing in staff and the infrastructure needed to support our railways. The SNP-led Scottish government has had a two-year head start, but the “new beginning” heralded in April 2022 is yet to transpire.

The recent Scottish government decision to bring back peak fares, along with endorsing these proposed cuts in station ticket office opening hours, is out of step with the trade unions in the industry, and the travelling public.

Earlier this year, proposals to extend driver-only operation on the ScotRail network were rejected following a successful ballot result for industrial action among RMT members and with widespread public and political opposition.

Join the rail unions in highlighting the impact of the ScotRail proposals on reducing ticket office hours — RMT has called a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday December 11 at 1.45pm, and members will be joined by MSPs to oppose these cuts. Local stations will also be leafletted on Monday December 16.

Let your MSPs and ScotRail know what you think — it is our railway, in public ownership, and the public clearly opposed the station ticket office closure plans in England and Wales earlier this year. It’s time to speak up in Scotland too.

• Join the Protest: Outside the Scottish Parliament, December 11 at 1.45pm.
• Contact Your MSP: Demand they oppose these cuts and protect rail services.
• Sign the Petition: 
• Spread the Word: Share campaign updates and resources from the RMT campaign page.