PROPOSED changes to the hours of Lockerbie station ticket office have been criticised.
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has hit out at ScotRail following the announcement.
They want it to be open from 7 am to 8.20 pm Monday to Saturday; compared to the current 6.50 am to 8.45 pm weekdays and 5.50 am-8.45 am on Saturdays.
Meanwhile, Sundays would change from 10.50 am to 6 pm, to 10.10 am to 5.50 pm instead.
ScotRail says the proposals would reflect “changing travel and ticket purchasing patterns”.
But Mr Smyth disagrees and said: “Once again, it is being proposed that rail passengers are left with a second-rate service.
“Routes are being slashed, fares are being hiked and now ticket desks are being shut early.
“Whatever ScotRail might say, these cuts will hit passengers, threaten jobs and undermine station safety. We won’t get people to use the trains by cutting rail services to the bone.
“These changes would be significant change, especially at Lockerbie which is a hugely important and busy station for people travelling to the central belt for work and leisure; and south to London on the West Coast Mainline.”
The MSP further pointed out that ScotRail got Lockerbie’s existing opening times wrong in their documentation, saying: “Even more shocking is that in proposing the changes, ScotRail doesn’t even seem to know the existing ticket office opening times of its own station and what hours their own staff work.
“As someone who uses the station on a weekly basis, I know the station hours are different to those ScotRail claim. All they had to do was check their own website for the correct hours.
“The current opening time of 6.50 am during the week makes sense, because two of the busiest trains of the day leave Lockerbie at just after 7 am. If the ticket desk opened at 7 am, staff wouldn’t have time to sell tickets to those waiting for those services.
“It’s clear these changes haven’t been thought through.”
He wants the Scottish Government to step in, pause the changes and consult staff and passengers “properly”, adding: “While many people now buy their tickets online or through apps, this isn’t an option for everyone and closing tickets offices will have a huge impact.”
