On 31 October, Munira welcomed the announcement that planned ticket office closures in Twickenham, and across England, will be scrapped. Munira had been calling on the Government and South Western Railway (SWR) to halt the plans.
“I’m pleased that the Government has finally heeded calls from MPs and disability campaigners to stop the planned ticket office closures in their tracks,” Munira said. “People in Twickenham and across the country were rightly alarmed by the plans, which should never have been considered in the first place. This is yet another embarrassing u-turn for the Government.”
In Twickenham, the proposed ticket office closures and staffing cuts would have reduced staffing hours at many local stations – including Teddington, Whitton and Hampton – by as much as 80%.
Munira repeatedly raised residents’ concerns in Parliament and with SWR, including concerns about the impact on the elderly, passengers with disabilities, those needing special tickets and women travelling alone at night.
On 26 October in Parliament, Munira called on the Rail Minister to halt the plans. This followed Munira’s comments in a debate in Parliament on 13 September (watch both videos below). Previously, Munira had written to Rail Minister Huw Merriman and the Managing Director of South Western Railway to challenge the plans and express residents’ concerns.