The Tube is being made fit for the future. Or so we are being told...
People are being replaced by machines. And the windows through which we used to interact are being bricked up. The memory of dialogue is being erased. To be forgotten forever?
As someone who commutes, sometimes on two wheels, sometimes on public transport the implications of the closing ticket offices have struck me as significant - quite apart from the deletion of aesthetic pleasures and architectural archive are we not at risk of losing touch with an important facet of travel?
It occurs to me that many a journey is influenced and informed by a valuable engagement which may take place only briefly but which enables the person anticipating the journey to touch base and confirm their path with someone whom they imagine (rightly or wrongly) knows better.
This casual but perhaps vital double checking would, more often than not, take place implicitly, seamlessly, as a ticket is purchased. The new set-up demands the passenger-to-be to boldly address their request directly. And visible does not necessarily equal approachable.
Contact is being replaced by Contactless. Ticket machines have been installed across the network. They are part of a clever strategy to save money. Whether they enhance the passenger experience is the subject of a debate that is rapidly heating up.
Ticket offices will soon be a thing of the past at virtually all of the Tube's 278 stations. Staff will be available to greet you at all hours and will stand in the drafty ticket halls rather than behind small windows. They will point you towards the automated machines which may or may not be able to help you to enjoy the oyster of the network.
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