Controversial plans to close railway station ticket offices across England - including Manchester Piccadilly - have sparked widespread condemnation.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), a leading industry body, has proposed the closure of almost all ticket offices, including those at major stations such as Manchester's main station, as well as London Waterloo, London Euston, Birmingham New Street. The move comes after Transport Secretary Mark Harper asked train operators to reduce costs.
The RDG argues that shifting ticket office staff to station platforms and concourses will "modernise customer service" and ensure there are "more staff available to give face-to-face help".
However, disability charities and trade unions have expressed anger at the plans, claiming that job losses could occur and that vulnerable passengers may be deterred from using trains.
Louise Rubin, head of policy at disability equality charity Scope, expressed concern that the changes may not improve accessibility for disabled people and could leave them without necessary support. She said: “We’ve had little reassurance that these changes will make our rail network more accessible for disabled people. We’re deeply concerned that they will result in more people being stranded without the support they need.”
Stephen Brookes, rail policy adviser for charity Disability Rights UK, criticised the scheme, stating that disabled and older people, who often struggle with digital exclusion, will be most affected.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which has been involved in strike action over a long-running dispute, described the closures as "a savage attack" on workers and the travelling public. Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, stated that "hundreds of redundancy notices" have been issued to ticket office staff.
Train operators have started a consultation process with affected staff and are aiming to offer alternative roles in order to avoid compulsory redundancies. Southeastern, one of the operators, has indicated that there will be fewer staff at medium and large stations if ticket offices close.
Passengers at London's Charing Cross station expressed mixed views on the proposal, with some highlighting the inconvenience for those who struggle with technology and prefer to speak to staff in person.
In England, there are currently 1,007 stations with ticket offices managed by train companies under contracts issued by the UK Government.
Following consultations, operators will choose which offices to close. The Transport Secretary will make the final decision if there are objections from passenger watchdogs.
The timeframe for the closures is yet to be determined, but the program is expected to take three years.
According to the RDG, only 12% of train tickets were purchased from ticket offices last year, down from 82% in 1995. Passengers will be encouraged to use contactless payment cards, self-service machines, or buy tickets from staff on concourses or trains.
The RDG has assured the public that "while the transition takes place", ticket office facilities will be available at the busiest stations.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman emphasised that station staff will be more visible and accessible under the new proposals and that assistance for those with accessibility needs will continue.
RDG CEO Jacqueline Starr stated that the way customers purchase tickets has changed, with the majority of transactions now being conducted through ticket vending machines or online. She said:“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."
*You may notice the below message on a small number of Manchester Evening News articles. We like to innovate and this is part of a trial to look at whether AI can help speed up the publishing
process, We will always declare where this happens.
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up the MEN's editorial research. A Manchester Evening News editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to newsdesk@men-news.co.uk*
