WHAT is going on with the c2c service? (or lack of I should say).

I work full time and commute paying nearly £100 per month for only three stops.

Where are the ticket office staff at Tilbury Town?

Well they are not there when the first London bound train arrives for 5am.

No, if you’re are lucky they open up just a couples of minutes prior to the 5.43am train to Fenchurch Street but due to this there is always a backlog of queueing commuters, made it worse when the self service machine is out of order, which is more often then not.

The security staff have no other option but allow the commuters to board the train without a ticket. I know it is not the commuters’ fault.

I’m blaming c2c for this, but its very annoying and insulting when I’ve already purchase my pricey ticket for the month.

And where are the staff at other stations? Purfleet opens its shutters just after the 6.13am train has arrived.

Sometimes there are no staff at the ticket office at all.

It’s all shuttered up and only the side gate are open allowing commuters to board free of charge and when you get off on platform two there are no staff and you walk straight through as there are no ticket barriers on that side of the platform.

At Rainham Station there are no ticket office staff until after 7am and that’s if you’re lucky enough for c2c to have staff there. well only a guard at the ticket office playing on his mobile, but he cannot sell you a ticket.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Southend. I already purchased my ticket for the journey, only to find when I arrived at Southend Central just after 9am on a Saturday morning no staff around whatsoever, but the barrier gates were open.

When I went back home, a security guard was manning the barriers but no ticket office was open and the machine was out of order.

The only thing c2c do is increase the rail fare like clockwork to apparently improve the train service.

But what service is this as c2c are not paying out for ticket staff are they?

c2c really needs a good shake up and employ more staff, fully and not on zero contract hours either.

JANICE BANKS

Tilbury