Asking for travel information at the NS service point in Tilburg will no longer be available in a few weeks. The counter closes for good. Only a digital information column remains. Together with many travelers, the city council of Tilburg is concerned. “Searching for digital information is not possible for the elderly”, according to the local political parties.
Gerdien is just in time with her questions at the service point on Tuesday. The ticket office closes at three o’clock in the afternoon. She was unable to buy tickets online. “It’s so nice to talk to someone, you can always fall back on them.” She had not yet received the news that the service point will be closing permanently. Gerdien: “That is very unfortunate. Without a service point, I keep browsing my computer for information.”
The NS already took the decision in 2020 to close the counter, because too few people use it. “The counter is gradually losing its function, it is shifting to digital,” explains NS spokesman Arno Leblanc. If travelers have questions, they can ask them at an information kiosk. There they are connected by telephone with an employee who helps them.”
Tilburg is not the only place where the service counter is disappearing. It is national policy of the NS. Roosendaal will soon no longer have a counter, just like Den Bosch, although there are employees walking around the station. And in Eindhoven, one of the two counters will disappear.
In January, the municipal council of Tilburg promised to look, together with the NS, into whether there are alternatives to the information kiosk. Just about the entire city council of Tilburg is concerned about how, for example, the elderly, low-literate people and tourists will find their way on the railways. Despite that promise, there is still no prospect of a solution as the closure of the NS service point is fast approaching.
Nol came to the station to ask if they could print out the travel advice for the weekend, but the service point had been closed for just 15 minutes. “I find it very annoying, it is an extra handicap.” Fortunately, his son regularly travels by public transport: “I’ll go to him now with my questions.”
Although the service point is not yet closed, people are already often standing at a closed door. Due to the upcoming closure, many employees have already been transferred to other locations. Only two of the twenty employees are left. As a result, you can often no longer go to the counter during rush hour, let alone in the evenings.
Hans Smolders of Lijst Smolders Tilburg (LST) criticizes the policy of the NS. “The service point is a point of reference for vulnerable people. Being digitally accessible is not enough.” PvdA councilor Bea Mieris says the same. “Many people like to ask a question to a person normally. Young people can figure it out with an app, but the elderly are more likely to think ‘never mind’ and don’t travel. We must prevent that.”
Last week, LST and PvdA, together with the SP, 50Plus and Lokaal Tilburg, asked questions about the upcoming closure and whether there is already a view on alternatives. According to Smolders, quick action is needed “Cutting out completely is a bad idea. A large minority group is not taken into account.”