This petition is to keep our local train station staffed for good. West Midlands Railway have announced a consultation on closing ticket offices across the West Midlands, including (unfortunately) Olton. 

This is a real issue that would have a real impact on the lives of Olton residents. I know this because (unfortunately) I have firsthand experience - my wife called me in tears one day, because the lift was out of service and there was nobody there to help her carry the pushchair down the stairs. She had to wait for a train to arrive so she could ask a stranger for help.

Is this the sort of community we want to live in, one in which disabled or vulnerable residents, such as the elderly and parents with young children, are worried about using the public transport services they need to live their lives freely? We all know Olton deserves much better than this!

Under proposed changes, our ticket office will be replaced by staff from "new mobile teams" who will be deployed "on a flexible basis to undertake customer service, passenger assistance, safety and general upkeep duties". 

Reading the above, it is clear that this is a step in the wrong direction. Our ticket office should not be closed, it should be staffed for longer, to ensure that our station is kept safe and clean, that assistance is available to all residents who need it.

Please sign this petition NOW and encourage other residents to sign it ASAP, the consultation has been extended until Friday 1st September; I will be presenting this petition following this deadline. 

You can also have your say by emailing: TicketOffice.WMT@transportfocus.org.uk

Freepost: RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ