Fears have been expressed for rail passenger safety after a government commissioned report proposed axing staff at stations in Manor Park and Forest Gate.
An investigation into the McNulty Report by the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union revealed recommendations to leave Woodgrange Park and Wanstead Park unmanned, as part of cost-cutting plans for the rail network.
John Biggs, London Assembly member for City and the East, said: “Leaving stations that carry less than 100 passengers a year without any staff is one thing but doing the same in London is another thing entirely.”
Woodgrange Park and Wanstead Park are among 675 ‘Category E’ stations across the country which the study, Realising the Potential of GB Rail: Report on the Rail Value for Money Study, recommends should lose their staff.
Category E stations are typically manned by just one staff member.
Mr Biggs added: “We want to be able to ensure that people continue to use public transport.
“To do this they need to be safe and people need to feel safe using them.
“Getting off the last train at a deserted station can be a frightening experience and we do not want to add to it by having no staff on duty.”
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “We are currently considering the findings of Sir Roy McNulty’s independent report and any of his proposed changes to rail fares or ticketing will be examined as part of a government review.”
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to respond to the report’s recommendations in Parliament next month.
Wanstead Park and Woodgrange Park had 213,644 and 171,972 passengers, respectively in 2009/10.
The nation’s least used station, Coombe in Oxfordshire, had just 42.
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