Nearly all railway ticket offices to be closed under new plans for England
Only the busiest stations would still have manned ticket offices under the proposals
Plans to close nearly all railway station ticket offices in England have been announced.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has published proposals which could lead to nearly all offices being shut, with facilities only remaining open at the busiest stations.
It said moving ticket office staff onto station platforms and concourses would “modernise customer service” but there are fears the move could lead to job losses and put some vulnerable passengers off train travel.
How many stations have ticket offices?
There are 1,007 of these in England run by train companies operating under contracts issued by the UK Government.
Posters are being displayed at the vast majority of these on Wednesday informing passengers about the potential closure of the ticket office.
A further 759 do not have a ticket office.
Which ticket offices close and when?
Following a consultation, the Government will make the final decision on which offices will be axed.
It is not known how quickly the first sites will close, but the programme is expected to last for three years.
Why are the ticket office closures being proposed?
The rail industry is under pressure from the Government to save money amid the drop in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The RDG said 12% of train tickets are bought from offices at stations, down from 82% in 1995.
How will you be able to buy tickets?
The RDG says 99% of transactions made at offices last year can be made at ticket machines or online.
As part of the changes, ticket machines will be upgraded and many staff will have handheld devices.
Passengers will be asked to pay for journeys by tapping contactless cards on barriers, using self-service machines, or buying tickets from staff on station concourses or trains if possible.
What is the reaction from unions?
The plan has sparked fury from trade unions and disability groups, with concerns also raised by public transport organisations.
There are fears the move could lead to job losses and put some vulnerable passengers off train travel.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) says it will “vigorously oppose” the proposals.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association claims the public has “no desire to see their rail network diminished in this way”.
"Time for the railway to change"
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.
“With just 12% of tickets being sold from ticket offices last year, and 99% of those transactions being available on TVMs (ticket vending machines) or online, our proposals would mean more staff on hand to give face-to-face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.
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