Simon Mollison has written a letter to condemn the plan to close the ticket office at Oxford rail station.

GWR’s proposal to close the ticket office at Oxford station is bad news.

The consultation period was only three weeks and has now ended.

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It is clear from their website that GWR have already decided to phase out the Oxford ticket office completely by the end of next year.

Their idea of 'moving staff closer to customers’ is disingenuous and will do away with the orderly queuing system that we have at present.

If there is anything unusual about your journey, it can be difficult or even impossible to find the information you need online.

Oxford Mail: The ticket office is expected to close

Our knowledgeable ticket office staff can be relied upon to come up with the best solution.

They are also very patient and helpful in dealing with the many foreign visitors who find our complex array of fares even more confusing than locals do.

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Moreover, their friendly manner and pride in doing their job well lifts the spirit and makes a perfect start to a journey.

This cost-cutting exercise would be slightly more palatable if it were not dressed up as being for the benefit of passengers.

Simon Mollison

Oxford

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.