Members of the public, local leaders and activists gathered at Mortlake station yesterday evening to oppose planned ticket office closures and reductions in staffing hours.

Mortlake station is currently staffed seven days a week but under South Western Railways proposal it will have its staffing hours cut, with no staff present on Friday and Saturday, only a token presence on Sunday morning and all evening hours cut.

Proposed closures at Mortlake. Image Credit: SWR.

This is part of wider proposals from SWR to close ticket offices and cut staffing hours across stations in South West London.

The protest, which was organised by local disability charity Ruils, alongside Cllr Julia Cambridge, had a turnout of almost one hundred people.

Hallie Banish, Campaigns and Communications Manager at Ruils said: "This is a massive deal, and its something that impacts everyone, but especially something that impacts disabled people, elderly people, people with mobility issues and people with learning disabilities who need a human to speak to them and help them to access transport.

"Effectively what closing these ticket offices will do is lock those people out of independently and safely traveling, which is not right because we all deserve to access the rail system, we all deserve to travel independently."

She added: "We are very, very against the proposals and we really hope that SWR and all the other rail companies will make a change to what they're proposing.

"What they're proposing does not meet the needs of the people who use the services, it's not fit for purpose. "

Hallie Banish and Cllr Nikki Crookdake.

Cllr Nikki Crookdake, for Mortlake and Barnes Common, added that due to the Stag Brewery building development and other building projects near to the Station footfall will massively increase.

She said: "The issue is safety, security and accessibility."

"We've had a number of stabbing incidents around this area so it's really important and due to building developments we need this station to be capable of dealing with lots of footfall so having nobody in the ticket office really would be a safety issue."

Station manager, Daniel Opuku, has been working at Mortlake Station for 25 years, has never taken a sick day, and has won many awards, including national front line customer service personality and being nominated to carry the Olympic torch.

He was praised by members of the community who attended the protest as a 'local celebrity' and 'pillar of the community'.

If the proposal was to go ahead Daniel's hours would be cut to only 6am to 10am Monday to Friday and to no hours on Friday and Saturday.

Daniel said: "I'm needed all the time, judging by the number of old people living in Mortlake who rely on us, the closures will be catastrophic.

"Secondly, the fatality levels at Mortlake are very high and that is another reason why there should be staffing."

Station Manager, Danial Opuku.

Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park, who attended the protest said: "For anyone with accessibility issues or a physical disability, these plans are a catastrophe. The community came out in force yesterday and showed they will not take these changes lying down. It's time SWR listened.

"Vulnerable people and women travelling in the evenings are going to be hit hardest by these cuts. It's not only a disgrace, it's downright dangerous.

"SWR haven't explained why Mortlake, a station with a record of tragic incidents on the tracks and history of anti-social behaviour nearby, should have its hours slashed.

 "What's even more bizarre is SWR have spent thousands on safety upgrades that need a member of staff present. It's like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. They talk about cutting costs, but they're pouring money down the drain with these plans.

"It's good that SWR are increasing staffing hours in other stations, but it shouldn't come at the cost of slashing hours at Mortlake. They're robbing Peter to pay Paul and calling it an improvement.

A member of the public, who wished to remain anonymous felt that the closure of the the station would impact her significantly.

She said: "It's really important that the ticket office stays open. Many people don't book online and many people are in a tease using machines and the staff here are so helpful, particularly if you have a complex journey, but any journey.

"The staff are here for very long hours which is wonderful for us and it would be very difficult for the station to exist without them and stations should always be manned."

"The staff here are so special their really loved by everyone here. It's a very special station, its very much a part of the community."

Sarah Olney MP. (Photo Credit: Sarah Olney MP.)

Alan Benson, the co-chair of 'Transport For All', a disabled-led organisation that campaigns for transport justice also attended.

He said: "This is a huge issue for us. The fantastic turnout yesterday shows that people across the community are scared. Ticket Offices are not just there to sell tickets. They are a vital part of supporting passengers that can't be provided any other way.

A South Western Railway spokesperson said: "In proposing to modernise stations, the industry has pledged that no staffed station will become unstaffed, with all colleagues upskilled to support customers with their journeys, including purchasing tickets and providing travel advice.

"Customers with accessibility needs will always be supported and we are working closely with our accessibility panel to refine our proposals to ensure everyone can travel with confidence. We invite customers to have their say by responding to the ongoing public consultation, which is open until September 1."

Details of the proposal and how to lodge an objection can be found here.