Change for good? Rail passengers wait to be convinced about ticket office closures

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £20 FOR 1 YEAR]( July 07, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Blue-sky travel thinking: is the proposal to close almost all railway ticket offices in England an example of much-needed modernisation, or a calamitous change that risks deterring passengers who need extra care? Long haul: the journey to Annecy by rail involved a battle with SNCF bureaucracy (Poppy Calder)   [Get inspired...]( [Hunt for the hidden Algarve]( Follow your tastebuds in Portugal's popular tourist haunt to find a foodie’s paradise far from the madding crowd [I'm an image]( Cornish charm]( Did someone say sea, sand and spa? If you're looking to recharge and reconnect, here's our pick of Cornwall's best wellness hotels. [I'm an image]( [Safari in... Argentina?]( From extinction to distinction: a rewilding project in the Iberá Wetlands introduces wildlife lovers to out-of-this-world nature experiences   Simon’s dispatches [The biggest upheaval in the railway industry for a generation]( looks like this: the vast majority of English station booking offices will shut over the next three years. The 14 train operators who are contracted by the Department for Transport (DfT) made the announcement collectively, backed by ministers. Some rail firms – such as Avanti West Coast – plan to close every ticket office on their patch, including London Euston. Others, notably LNER, will keep booking offices at King's Cross, York, Newcastle and other key stations, albeit with reduced opening hours. Train operators and the government say[buying patterns have changed radically since rail privatisation](. Only one in eight tickets is bought from a booking office; half of all journeys are booked online. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) says staff will transition to “multi-skilled ‘customer help’ roles where they would be better able to give advice about the best and cheapest fares, advise on journey planning and support customers with accessibility needs”. But campaign group Transport For All tells me: “If these plans go ahead, many disabled people will be prevented from using the rail network entirely.” The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) adds the move “would have a hugely detrimental impact on blind and partially sighted people’s ability to buy tickets, arrange assistance and, critically, travel independently”. Rail firms and ministers face an uphill struggle to convince passengers, especially those who need assistance, that the closure plans will benefit travellers. As Mark Smith, the international rail guru known as The Man In Seat 61, points out, [it would make much more sense to reform fares first](. Currently, understanding the rail pricing system and exploiting the many loopholes such as the “[Didcot Dodge](” (saving 40 per cent off the cost of a Bristol-London ticket by splitting tickets at the Oxfordshire junction) requires a depth of knowledge that passengers should not be expected to bear. Among the responses from readers: some blue-sky thinking that could address rail travellers’ concerns. Malcolm Frost wonders: “Would it be feasible for local Post Offices to have a role (paid) in ticketing?” It could be: while on the rails through Germany last month, I was impressed by the way that [Flixbus]( (which also runs trains) sells through many corner shops to passengers who may not have the inclination or technology to buy online. And Matt H adds: “Could private enterprise take over ticket office operations at some key stations?” Rail staff with expertise came to my rescue this week when battling to travel from London to Annecy in southeast France by rail. The Eurostar leg to Paris was fine; but after I crossed the capital to Gare de Lyon and set about procuring the necessary seat reservation for the onward TGV express, I was confronted by a ticket machine devised by Franz Kafka’s French cousin on a bad day. Benoit, on the barrier, took the time to explain that to use an Interrail pass on a high-speed train, you must pretend you want to buy a ticket, even though you don't. Hear more in [my slightly grumpy podcast from Chambery station]( on the last leg of my long and winding journey to the Alps. As always, your views are most welcome; address them to s@hols.tv, @SimonCalder on Twitter and @Simon_Calder on Threads. [Your concerns about travel to Paris and beyond answered](     Tip of the week: Free ice-cream on British Airways From today, [British Airways]( is offering complimentary ice cream on long-haul daytime flights departing from London Heathrow and Gatwick before 5pm. The airline’s chief customer officer, Calum Laming, said: “Our fantastic colleagues will be on hand to bring some summer joy to our customers.” But is it blue-sky thinking? Within hours of Thursday’s announcement, Virgin Atlantic – which brought sweet and tasty frozen desserts to transatlantic passengers when it launched 39 summers ago – [tweeted]( pictures of inflight lollies and ice-cream, with the message: “Keeping customers cool since 1984.” [The worst inflight meals the]([Independent's travel writers]( have ever been served Deal of the week: Free summer travel around Lake Annecy This week, all [bus fares in the 34 towns of the Greater Annecy area of southeast France were scrapped]( for the summer, in a bid to “convince both local residents and tourists to favour public transportation rather than getting around by car”. The offer continues until the end of August. For longer journeys in the region, by rail, adults get 40 per cent off and children travel for free on Saturdays. [Options for free travel around the world]( Enjoy a year of unlimited digital access for just £99 £20 ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Question of the week: Is Albania a good honeymoon destination? Q My daughter is considering taking her honeymoon in Albania in mid-September. Any drawbacks? A Congratulations to your daughter and her spouse-to-be on their marriage – and inspired choice of south-east Europe for a honeymoon. Albania is certainly a budget destination. It has exceedingly friendly and hospitable people and a 240-mile Adriatic coastline, where the water will be warm and the beaches largely empty in September. Yet for a honeymoon, I fear the Albanian experience may feel just a little too erratic: the nation does not have the sophistication of its neighbours on the Adriatic, Greece and Montenegro. Those alluring destinations are much more expensive, but may I offer another neighbour: North Macedonia? This fragment of former Yugoslavia shares with Albania the beautiful Lake Ohrid, and at the northeast corner the town of Ohrid is a gem. It has a deep history (with Unesco-listed churches); narrow, flower-strewn cobbled streets; tasty places to eat and drink at 1990s prices; and a very pleasant lake beach. “Lake Como on the cheap,” is one description I have heard from a leading travel industry figure. All in all, an excellent location for a budget honeymoon. For your daughter’s convenience, [Tui]( started this year offering package holidays from London Gatwick and Manchester to Ohrid at very attractive prices. On 13 September, a week at the Villa Nika is just £433 per person, including flights from Gatwick (with luggage), transfers and accommodation with breakfast. [The ultimate holiday guide to Albania]( STAT OF THE WEEK 7.5kg Predicted reduction in CO2 emissions for each [Japan Airlines passenger who takes up the option of renting clothing locally]( on arrival in Tokyo rather than checking in their own garments for the flight. What you might have missed... - Rail strikes: [Industrial action on the railways is expanding, with London Underground workers planning a walk-out from 23 to 28 July]( - Sky full: [Air-traffic control limits could cause flight chaos this summer](//link.e.independent.co.uk/click/32009727.9384/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvdHJhdmVsL25ld3MtYW5kLWFkdmljZS9ibHVlLWFpci1yb21hbmlhLWZsaWdodHMtc3VzcGVuZGVkLWIyMTYxNTY1Lmh0bWw/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B679c4706 - Hot spots: [Essentials for summer, from passports to health cover]( SIMON'S DIARY Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on Instagram (and also now on Threads) [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( [INDYBEST]( / [BEST TRAVEL BUYS]( [Best men’s summer shoes and sandals, for holidays, weddings and more]( From [sandals]( and [slides]( to [clogs]( and [trainers](, we’ve tested the [best men’s summer shoes](. 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