This train station didn’t sell a single ticket from its booking office in a month

The train station in Sundridge sees its rush-our amount to about six people, one local claimed (Picture: Triangle News)

Every morning, even as London trains become rammed with sweaty suits and to-go coffee cups, locals in one south-eastern suburb aren’t exactly worried.

To them, the busiest Sundridge Park railway station gets in the early hours is some ‘six people’ squeezing into trains heading into central London, one local said.

And in May, not a single ticket was sold from the Bromley station’s ticket office, according to operator Southeastern Railway.

The company hopes to shutter about ticket offices – including Sundridge’s, which is the least used – across 40 stations, adding to the nearly one thousand across the rail network set to close as part of controversial plans.

Out of the 40 stations at risk, 16 sold an average of 10 tickets or fewer a day from their ticket office windows.

The station in Sundridge, known for its sprawling golf course and elegant manor, has one of the lowest ticket sales levels in the network.

Sundridge commuters can choose to either head to Bromley North or Grove Park on the rail line in zone four.

Local councillors said the ticket office isn’t always open, which could explain the low usage figures (Picture: Triangle News)

Zoe Hamilton, 36, who has lived in the area for seven years, said: ‘I will be completely honest, I didn’t actually know there was a ticket office there.

‘It doesn’t surprise me at all.

‘Why would you need to use the ticket office? I have my card on my phone, or you’ve got Oyster.’

Other residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), per News Shopper, earlier this month how they mainly use the station to get to Grove Park.

From there, riders can change to get to Lewisham or New Cross.

Cafe owner James Darvell, 33, said rush hour in Sundridge amounts to just ‘six people’ and he has seen ticket office usage decrease since the pandemic.

‘But it’s a direct link into Grove Park and on towards Central London so [the area] does need it, it definitely needs the station to be there,’ he added.

Train operators and government ministers are hoping to close ticket offices to save money – but campaigners say this puts passenger safety on the line (Picture: Triangle News)

Bromley Labour Group questioned this, however, stressing that ridership is on the up and that the booking office isn’t always actually open.

‘From everything we have seen, the station is still well used during rush hour, especially as many local residents commute to central London,’ local councillors said.

‘The rising number of commuters using our free car park, on an adjacent road, also shows that those travelling to work on Southeastern enjoy being able to use this station.

‘Residents have told us that the ticket office is often closed when it should be open.

‘This is one of the reasons why recorded usage is as low as it is. How can they record usage, if it is rarely open?’

In the biggest upheaval in Britain’s railways in decades, the majority of railway stations in England may be left without a single booking office as part of mass closures.

Disability campaigners have criticised the plans (Picture: Shutterstock/Michael715)

Train operators and government transit officials say the cost-cutting plan will move ticket office staff from behind their desks and help speed up self-service machines.

A consultation on the future of booking offices – to be conducted by watchdog London TravelWatch and Transport Focus – will close on September 1.

But railway unions and disability campaigners have opposed the closures, raising fears over the impact on rider safety and the loss of 2,300 ticket office jobs.

‘We know that closing ticket offices will worsen the passenger experience and safety, security and accessibility,’ the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) said in a petition against the plans.

‘The impacts may be particularly severe for disabled and elderly passengers and those requiring additional support.’

The union’s petition has been signed by more than 62,000 people.

Transport For All, which campaigners for transit and streets to be made better accessible for disabled people, said the closures would be ‘catastrophic’.

‘Taking away staffed ticket offices will have a practical impact on disabled people’s ability to purchase tickets, arrange assistance and travel by rail and an emotional impact on whether their journeys can be conducted reliably and safely,’ the group wrote in a letter to Grant Shapps, the transport secretary.

One in eight train tickets are sold over the counter at ticket offices, Transport for All said.

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‘How can they record usage, if it is rarely open?’