§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many 641W railway stations are unstaffed overnight; and if he has any plans to require railway stations to be staffed at night. [26244]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonComprehensive details of station staffing are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. All train operating companies are signatories to the industry wide Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) which includes the ticket office opening hours for staffed stations. Operators' licences and the franchise agreements require compliance with the TSA. The TSA specifies 14 stations where ticket offices are open for 24 hours a day. There are no requirements on operators to staff areas of stations other than the ticket offices specified in the TSA. The Government's proposals for the long term reform of the railways will be set out in our White Paper to be published later in the year.