Rail union RMT has criticised Avanti West Coast for operating stations with reduced staff levels, warning that unfilled vacancies and cuts are putting both passengers and staff at risk.

At Stoke-on-Trent, the union has received reports that gate lines are often staffed by just one person, despite risk assessments specifying that two staff members should be present. Ticket office staff are frequently diverted to cover gates, resulting in long queues for passengers seeking assistance. RMT claims that management’s decision not to fill a vacant ticket office post effectively amounts to a “cut by the back door.”

At Preston, ticket offices have reportedly been forced to close early due to staff shortages, while the Customer Information Centre has been left unstaffed as employees are redirected to assist passengers with disabilities. Recently, the station recorded 85 requests for Disabled Passenger Assistance, yet no extra staff have been provided to meet the demand. The union estimates that Preston is currently at least 11 staff short, creating unsafe pressure and excessive workloads.

RMT is calling on Avanti West Coast to:

• Maintain ticket office staffing at all stations at previous levels.

• Ensure at least two members of staff are present on every gate line whenever gates are in operation.

• Provide sufficient additional staff to manage the increasing number of disabled passenger assistance requests.

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said:

“Avanti is trying to run major stations on the cheap and it is putting passengers and staff at potential risk. Our members are being asked to cover multiple safety-critical roles at once, ticket offices are not being staffed properly, and disabled passengers are being left waiting for support which is wholly unacceptable. The travelling public have made it clear time and again, that they want open, fully staffed stations, not cuts by stealth. Avanti must recruit staff to acceptable levels and put safety, accessibility and passenger service first.”

Image: Avanti West Coast