Boston could lose its train station ticket office under new proposals

​It has been proposed that the ticket office at Boston railway station will close in September, with staff moved to other stations.

Instead the station will only be visited weekly by “mobile colleagues” according to a statement from East Midlands Railway.

At present, ticket office windows at Boston are open Monday to Saturday, 7.40am – 3.20pm.

Along with selling tickets, the employees at ticket offices also sell railcards, reserve seats, deal with lost property and other enquiries.

If the plan goes ahead, the nearest customer information centre for rail travellers will be either Lincoln or Nottingham, and other services can only be accessed at these centres, EMR’s website or through the app.

Passengers will still be able to purchase tickets from ticket machines at Boston train station.

It comes as part of a nationwide announcement of plans by rail operators to do away with dozens of ticket offices.

East Midlands Railway stated: “This proposal forms part of plans to modernise the railway and bring it more in line with modern consumer expectations.

“It reflects the significantly reduced usage of ticket offices over the past decade as customers move to alternative, more convenient ways of buying tickets.”

Back in the 1990s, more than 80 per cent of all tickets were sold at ticket offices, compared to just 12 per cent nationally and less than five per cent at EMR stations on average today.

“We will continue to meet all our commitments on providing accessibility for passengers, including passengers with reduced mobility and people requiring in-person assistance,” they stated.

People wanting to comment on the consultation should go to eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/modernisation-consultation.

Customers can also have their say by contacting Transport Focus, the independent transport user watchdog, by emailing [email protected] by Wednesday, July 26.

• What do you think? Email your views to [email protected].