LETTERS: Cutting railway staff produces the wrong kind of station

RICHARD Grimmer picked the wrong stations when he tried to get permission to talk to passengers on railway property ("True stories from the Great Railway Disaster: So you want to do an interview at a station?", 3 March). Thanks to the short-sighted policy of "destaffing" to cut down on costs, there are any number of stations in London and elsewhere where you will never encounter a member of railway staff even if you are looking for one. At one of these stations, Mr Grimmer could have gone about his business untroubled; he would also have seen evidence of the vandalism and fare evasion that the destaffing policy has produced, and which has turned many stations into "no-go" areas as far as many potential passengers are concerned.

Graham Larkbey

Railway Development Society London N6