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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Graham Hiscott & David Dubas-Fisher & Chiara Fiorillo

Train station ticket offices closing - see if yours is shutting down on interactive map

Up to 1,000 train station ticket officers are set to close down permanently under new plans announced this week.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) this week unveiled proposals that could lead to nearly all offices being shut.

This includes those at some of the UK's busiest stations, such as London Waterloo, London Euston, Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly.

We've now created an interactive map that will help you understand whether your local ticket office is among the ones that will be closed down.

To use it, simply put your postcode in and click on "search". The tool will then show you the ticket offices set to be shut down near you:

After plans were announced this week, some Conservative MPs warned the Government that the "wholly inadequate" technology at train stations will not be a fair replacement for closed ticket offices.

Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland was among the MPs warning ministers of the impact of the planned mass closures.

South Swindon MP Sir Robert told the Commons: "Residents in Swindon had a taste of things to come yesterday potentially when the ticket office was closed and people were queuing out of the door to deal with the wholly inadequate machines that are at the station. Wi-fi was unreliable as well.

"Isn't the truth this: that if we are to proceed with this significant change then the technology that is available to customers has to be significantly better?"

Jason McCartney, Conservative MP for Colne Valley, said he had "huge concerns" about the plans' effect on passengers.

He added: "When the computer says no, doesn't he agree with me the best way for them to get advice on ticketing, a refund, an alternative route to go, when the next trains are coming, is by speaking to fully-trained staff in ticket offices?"

Tory former minister Tim Loughton meanwhile claimed some ticket options are not available through ticket machines.

He told MPs: "I have to queue because I have an open flexible ticket as many of us do, which I can't get in the machine.

"Isn't it the case that these roving members of staff will not be subject to statutory regulation, because ticket office staff are the only ones subject to statutory regulation at the moment?

"So I might not even be able to find a roving member of staff to take me to the machine to give me a ticket which the machine won't give me. It is not going to work is it?"

Transport minister Huw Merriman responded: "99% of all tickets can be purchased over a ticket machine or online.

"Then in terms of the 1% that we then need to work on, as part of this process, I have charged the industry and officials to speed up the process so that more can be purchased in that particular manner, and changing ticket machines so that can occur."

Mr Merriman had earlier said the plans were "about taking expert ticketing staff into the parts of the station where currently they are not being seen".

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, said: "The decision to close up to 1,000 ticket offices and issue hundreds of redundancy notices is a savage attack on railway workers, their families and the travelling public.

"Travellers will be forced to rely on apps and remote mobile teams. This is catastrophic for elderly, ­disabled and vulnerable passengers."

However, this has been denied by the Rail Delivery Group. A spokesperson said: "No redundancy notices have been served to staff.

"Alongside public consultations, train operators have issued a letter to trade unions which opens consultation on managing the transition in a way that minimises the impact of the changes - examples include moving to a new multi-skilled role and comprehensive re-training and re-skilling, staff moving to other roles and the potential for a voluntary severance scheme.

"Train companies are committed to treating staff, who are hugely valued, fairly and will continue to engage constructively with unions at a local level to manage the transition."

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