Reduced ticket office hours and locked doors cause confusion. Locals step in to guide travelers to alternative access.
Wick’s ticket office will have fewer open hours soon. Starting late March, things are changing. People found the main doors locked sometimes when they arrived for their train.
Allan Bruce said he’s helped folks find another way in; you have to walk around and use the side entrance. Visitors don’t know about that entrance. Imagine seeing your train but not getting inside!
Bruce lives nearby and sees this often. The Far North Line group wants better signs because they promote the train line for tourism. They think locked doors are bad for tourists.
Someone might panic if they are late and can’t enter. Bruce wonders why they lock the main doors and pictures confused visitors arriving in town. The “Way Out” sign leads to locked doors.
Bruce helps folks locate the side gate near the police. He noticed no signs direct people there. Even some from the Far North Line group got stuck and had to walk back to exit.
ScotRail acknowledges the Wick entrance was closed sometimes due to staffing shortages because of a vacancy. Short-notice leave also caused closures.
Wick is among many stations getting reduced hours. Current hours are Monday to Saturday, from 10:10 AM to 5:14 PM. New hours cut Fridays and Saturdays to 1:30 PM.
ScotRail says more people buy tickets online, and ticket office sales are way down, they claim. The station stays staffed during current hours, and staff will still help with tickets or mobility.
Phil Campbell says Wick’s platform access stays the same during current opening times. New signs will guide people when the building closes.