Tim Loughton MP (East Worthing and Shoreham) has arranged a public meeting with Southern Rail (GTR) managers to challenge them on their poor service, the potential closure of Shoreham, Lancing and Worthing ticket offices, and the reopening of Shoreham station underpass. The meeting will take place on Thursday 17March 2016 at 6:30pm at the Shoreham Centre, 2 Pond Road, Shoreham-By-Sea, BN43 5WU.
Ahead of the meeting, Tim sent a number of letters he has received from concerned residents, as well as a couple of petition, including an online petition Tim started which gathered well over 2,200 signatures, in order to show Southern the level of frustration and concern the residents of Shoreham, Lancing and Worthing have with the potential ticket office closures.
Tim also attended a public demonstration held at the Shoreham station crossing protesting against the closure of Shoreham station underpass on Saturday 12 March 2016. Over 100 local residents came to deliver a strong message to the railway companies to take the matter seriously. Street access to the subway has been blocked since ticket gates were installed at the station to deter railway fare dodgers.
Tim said:
“Southern’s poor performance must be held to account. If you are unhappy with your local rail service, want to see the local station ticket offices remain open and support a reopening of the Shoreham station underpass, I encourage you to drop by after work (if your train gets in on time!)
“Many residents have spoken to me about their concerns around their safety at stations during the evening if the ticket offices were to close, particularly the elderly, who are also concerned that they will be force to use ticket machines, which can sometimes prove difficult for the less technically savvy.
“The Shoreham station underpass closure has led to long waiting times at the crossing when the barriers are down. At peak times pedestrians can be left waiting for up to 45mins, which, when there is a perfectly reasonable other route for them to take, has caused exasperation and anger.
“I really hope Southern will listen to concerns of residents and their passengers, who of course they exist to serve.”