Temporary closure of ticket offices as fewer rail passengers travelling

Greater Anglia is making further temporary changes to ticket office arrangements from the week beginning Sunday 19 April, in response to the current coronavirus outbreak, with 34 closing while the lockdown continues and opening hours reduced at a further seven. Although some ticket offices are closing, the stations do remain open, and tickets are available for purchase on the GA app or at ticket machines.

The train company has seen passenger numbers drop by over 90 per cent, as people heed Government safety advice to stay at home.

The fall in passenger numbers had led to a corresponding drop in numbers of people using station ticket offices.

As a result, ticket offices consistently selling less than 20 tickets a day will temporarily close, except for ticket offices at some stations which are key for travellers to nearby big hospitals, which will remain open.　 Seven other ticket offices will see reduced opening hours.

All stations will remain open and Greater Anglia will continue to run a reduced timetable to make sure essential key workers can still travel to work and back.

Where ticket offices are temporarily closed, customers requiring tickets will be able to buy them either at ticket machines, online or by using the Greater Anglia app.

Ticket machines are monitored remotely with a team poised to fix any problems that may arise.

Anyone not sure how to use ticket machines or which type of ticket to buy can use the "Ticket Assistance" help button on the machine to go through to an assistant – based in Norwich – who can provide helpful advice.

Ticket offices to close temporarily from week beginning Sunday 19 April are: Audley End, Braintree, Brimsdown, Burnham-on-Crouch, Colchester Town, Diss, Enfield Lock, Elsenham, Frinton, Harlow Mill, Hatfield Peverel, Hertford East, Hockley, Ingatestone, Kelvedon, Manningtree, March, Newport, Prittlewell, Rayleigh, Rochford, Rye House, Sawbridgeworth, Shelford, St Margaret’s, South Woodham Ferrers, Stansted Mountfitchet, Stowmarket, Thetford, Waltham Cross, Ware, Whittlesford Parkway, Wickford and Wivenhoe.

Revised opening hours will come into operation at Bishops Stortford, Broxbourne, Cambridge, Cheshunt, Ely, Harlow Town and Tottenham Hale.

Greater Anglia staff will regularly patrol stations to make sure all facilities are in order. Cleaners will continue to pay particular attention to regularly wiping down ticket machine buttons and screens with appropriate detergents to keep them safe for customers to use.

Full details of current train times, ticket office changes and refund arrangements can be found on the Greater Anglia website.

Martin Moran, Greater Anglia commercial and customer service director, said: "We’d like to thank customers for acting on Government advice to only travel if it is essential. We’ve seen a big drop in passengers using our trains and stations – including our ticket offices.

"These changes are only temporary. Once we are out of lockdown and people start travelling again, then we will reopen them.

"Stations will remain open and we’ll continue to run our reduced train service, so that essential key workers can travel to work and back.

"Our priority is to keep all of our staff and customers safe. We’re following all Government guidelines on social distancing and we’ve stepped up our cleaning of trains and stations, including high-touch areas such as ticket machine buttons and door handles.

"I’d like to thank all staff who are doing a sterling job of serving our customers and delivering a good service during these testing times."

These are ticket office opening hours across the network, from Sunday 19 April: