by Martin Jefferies

mjefferies@thekmgroup.co.uk

There are fears for the future of dozens of railway ticket offices in Kent after a union revealed a list of those it says could be closed.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) has published a list of 675 ticket offices it claims could go under recommendations being made to the government.

the 'hit list'

aylesham
barming
birchington-on-sea
broadstairs
charing
chestfield and swalecliffe
deal
eynsford
folkestone west
greenhithe for bluewater
ham street
harrietsham
higham
kearsney
lenham
maidstone west
marden
martin mill
northfleet
pluckley
queenborough
sandling
sandwich
sheerness-on-sea
shepherds well
sole street
stone crossing
sturry
swanscombe
teynham
walmer
westgate-on-sea
wye

They include 33 in Kent, including both Queenborough and Sheerness-on-Sea - the only two ticket offices on the Isle of Sheppey.

Deal and Sandwich, which only this morning celebrated the arrival of high speed services, are also on the list.

Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA, said: "Not only are unstaffed stations less secure, tickets bought from machines are usually more expensive.

"The transport secretary should give a clear undertaking that he is going to ditch these draconian cuts in services to passengers."

The closures are earmarked in the McNulty Report, which says that ticket offices at all 'Category E' stations - those which serve less than 250,000 passengers a year and are often staffed for just part of the day - should be axed.

The TSSA says the move, which it claims is "buried in the small print" of the report, would force passengers to use self-service ticket machines, leave them unable to get advice about their journey and make them feel less safe.

It is launching an "SOS-Save our Station ticket offices" campaign, which will tour the party conferences over the next four weeks urging MPs to save ticket offices in their constituencies.

A Southeastern spokesman said: "This is a political debate for the Department for Transport to decide on.

"Southeastern's franchise agreement states that we have no power to close ticket offices or even alter opening times."