Plan to close almost every railway station ticket office announced

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has unveiled a controversial proposal to “modernise customer service” and said it is only looking to keep ticket offices open at the busiest stations.

However, the move has been met with a fierce backlash from trade unions and disability groups, who claim it will lead to job losses and put some vulnerable passengers off train travel.

The Department of Transport will make the final decision on which offices will be axed, following a consultation which was launched today. There are 1,766 train stations in England and more than 40 per cent (759) have no staffed ticket offices.

It comes as the rail industry is under pressure from the Government to save money, as revenues have dropped by 30 per cent since the coronavirus pandemic.

Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the proposals are "deeply worrying to many of the 240,000 people employed in the rail industry" and they will "cause concern for rail users".

“Railroading this through, without consideration for staff and vulnerable passengers, only risks exacerbating the managed decline of the rail network,” she added.

But the RDG said just 12 per cent of train tickets are bought from offices at stations, down from 82 per cent in 1995.

According to the group, an estimated 99 per cent of all transactions made at ticket offices last year could be completed online or at ticket machines.

RDG also said that if the ticket offices are closed there will be “more staff available to give face-to-face help to customers“ and vulnerable passengers “will always be supported”.

Transport Salaried Staffs Association General Secretary Peter Pendle said: “We are clear the Government will face strong opposition from this union on the totally unnecessary mass closure of ticket offices.

“Ministers will soon realise that the public have no desire to see their rail network diminished in this way.”

Vivienne Francis, from the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said: “A mass closure of rail ticket offices would have a hugely detrimental impact on blind and partially sighted people’s ability to buy tickets, arrange assistance and, critically, travel independently.

“RNIB research shows that only 3 per cent of people with sight loss said they could use a ticket vending machine without problems and 58 per cent said it was impossible.”

Neil Middleton, from pressure group Railfuture, urged the industry to “encourage more self-service but don’t force it”.

He said: “If this change drives passengers off the trains, then we’ll all be worse off.

“Even though there may be a cost saving, if fewer passengers are on the trains it is very easy to see that income will reduce.”

RDG chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: “The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them.

“Our commitment is that we will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training to move into new more engaging roles.

“We also understand that our customers have differing needs, which is why the industry widely sought the views of accessibility and passenger groups when creating these proposals.”