The move to cut opening hours at Edinburgh train ticket offices has been slammed for putting passengers safety at risk.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) criticised the move by Scotrail to cut back on the opening hours at ticketing offices across Scotland.
In total, there will be nearly 120 ticket offices affected across the country, including the ticketing offices at Edinburgh Gateway and Linlithgow train stations.
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Most of the 120 offices seeing their office hours cut back will see reduced hours Monday to Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Edinburgh Gateway will now open on Monday to Thursday from 06:25am to 22:00pm, Friday from 06:25 to 2200pm, Saturday from 06:25am to 22:00pm and on Sunday it is open from 09:00am to 22:00pm.
Linlithgow’s ticketing hours will now be Monday to Thursday from 06:00am to 19:30pm, Friday from 06:00am to 19:30pm, Saturday from 08:30am to 18:00pm and on Sunday it will open from 08:15am to 19:00pm.
However the RMT are not happy at Scotrail’s first review of the opening times of ticket offices since the early 1990s.
A spokesperson said: “These proposals are short-sighted and regressive. If these cuts go ahead, it will worsen passenger service, safety, security and accessibility.
“Research by the passenger watchdog Transport Focus has shown that passengers value the presence of staff on the railway, and that they want to see more, not less, staff.
"Yet, under ScotRail’s proposals there is no guarantee that staff will remain present at the station when the ticket offices would be closed. RMT also believes that cuts to hours make it easier to reduce staffing or close more ticket offices in the future.
“Cuts to ticket office hours ignore the wide range of advice, services and assistance passengers get at the ticket office which cannot be replicated by machines or online ticketing.
Phil Campbell, Head of Customer Operations, said: “There has been no real review of our ticket office opening hours for 30 years, and it is important we keep up with the changing habits of customers who no longer rely on purchasing tickets in that way.
“With more than a 50 per cent drop in the use of ticket offices, heightened by the pandemic, we want to do everything we can to make sure everyone has a hassle-free journey.
“Nobody in ScotRail will lose their jobs as a result of these changes, and it is important to note that rather being about cutting jobs, this is about adding value for our staff and customers.
“Over the coming weeks, we’ll be talking to customers, staff, and stakeholders about the improvements they can expect to see and experience as they travel around Scotland’s Railway.”
