'A campaign we must win': Andy Burnham and Northern mayors are taking legal action over train station ticket office closures
manchestereveningnews.co.ukAndy Burnham and other regional mayors in the north are set to take legal action over the widespread closure of railway station ticket offices, it can be revealed tonight.
They have joined forces to initiate a legal challenge against rail operators TransPennine Express, Northern Trains Ltd, LNER, EMR, Thameslink, Greater Anglia and Avanti West Coast, arguing a 21-day period of public consultation is 'inappropriate for changes of this scale'.
The mayors said the closure plans would impact the most vulnerable in society, including disabled and older people. Pre-action protocol letters have already been sent, in which they collectively state a series of concerns, set out their legal case and call for the consultation to be suspended.
They said that if no action was taken by the operators, they would pursue a further legal action. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Writing in the Manchester Evening News, mayor of Greater Manchester Mr Burnham said: "For the good of the country, it's a campaign we must win. "If the Government and the rail industry get their way, it will erode what remains of public trust in travelling by train - and hasten Britain towards a faceless, soulless society.
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