Train companies have unveiled plans to close most ticket offices at railway stations in England.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents rail companies, unveiled proposals on Wednesday which could lead to nearly all offices being shut, including those at some of the UK’s busiest stations, such as London Waterloo, London Euston, Birmingham New Street, and Manchester Piccadilly.
It comes after Transport Secretary Mark Harper wrote to train operators asking them to cut costs.
The RDG said 12 percent of train tickets are bought from offices at stations, down from 82 percent in 1995.
It said moving ticket office staff onto station platforms and concourses would “modernise customer service” and pledged there will be “more staff available to give face-to-face help.”
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.
There are 1,007 stations in England run by train companies operating under contracts issued by the UK government.
Train companies across England will launch passenger consultations on the ticket office closures.
Following the consultation, operators will select which offices they want to close, with the transport secretary making the final decision in cases where there is an objection by a passenger watchdog.
‘Savage Attack’
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), which has been engaged in more than a year of strike action on the railways, said “hundreds of redundancy notices” are being issued to ticket office staff.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch described the closure policy as “a savage attack on railway workers, their families, and the travelling public.”
Peter Pendle, interim general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, 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.”
Stephen Brookes, rail policy adviser for charity Disability Rights UK, also condemned the programme.
He said: “Disabled and older people, who experience the greatest digital exclusion, are going to be the hardest hit.
Staff Will be ‘More Visible’
Rail minister Huw Merriman said: “Instead of station staff being stuck behind the counter of a ticket office, new proposals for stations would free them up to get out and about on to station concourses and platforms, and no station will become unstaffed as a result of these changes.“It’s also really important we continue to support those with different accessibility needs.
“A key aim of these proposals is to help station staff to be more visible and accessible, and able to help anyone who needs additional support.”
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 percent of tickets being sold from ticket offices last year, and 99 percent 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.
“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.”
