South West Trains proposes new ticket office opening hours

• Web, ticket machines and Oyster drive change in customer preferences
• £12m investment and better website makes buying tickets easier
• Extension of UK’s first national rail smartcard scheme from spring 2010
• Consultation over new hours to match demand

South West Trains has today (Wednesday 24 February) launched a consultation with customers and other stakeholders on proposed new opening hours at some of its quieter ticket offices.

The proposals follow a further review of ticket buying habits, which has found that more than 50% of customers now choose to purchase their tickets through ticket vending machines (TVMs), over the phone and on the internet.

The introduction of Oyster Pay As You Go on South West Trains services in Greater London since the start of the year has further influenced buying patterns.

The proposals include revised opening hours during quieter times of the week, such as on Sundays and during weekday evenings.

South West Trains has made a multi-million-pound investment to make it easier for customers to buy their tickets, including:

• £12million programme to provide nearly 450 ticket vending machines, which mean customers can order from the comfort of their home and collect pre-paid tickets, renew weekly and monthly season tickets and purchase peak tickets for the following day.
• The launch of an improved South West Trains website in November 2009, offering easier online booking continued provision of a telesales service to allow customers to book tickets and collect them from a ticket machine at their local station.

From spring 2010, South West Trains will be extending its pioneering smartcard scheme, the first of its kind on the UK national rail network. Following a successful trial on services between Staines and Windsor, the system is being rolled out to include stations between Weymouth and Basingstoke, Staines to Wokingham and the Isle of Wight.

Ian Johnston, Customer Service Director for South West Trains, said: “People’s buying habit for rail tickets have changed in the same way as many other products, with more and more customers choosing to make purchases over the phone or via the internet.

“More than half of our customers now buy through our website and call centre, or by using one of the hundreds of ticket machines we have provided across our network and the recent introduction of Oyster Pay As You Go on our services in Greater London is also having an affect on buying habits.

“It makes sense to continue to review our opening hours at some stations to ensure they match demand and reflect the way people now prefer to pay for their rail travel”.

Posters will be displayed at stations covered by the proposed new opening hours, providing full details and information on how customers can make comments on these changes. Formal consultation will take place with Passenger Focus and London Travel Watch.

There are 24 stations covered by the proposed new opening hours which are:

 Please click here to see the full details.