The
Government
has
climbed
down


over
plans
to
close
station
ticket
offices
in
England,
after
the
transport
watchdogs
Transport
Focus
and
London
TravelWatch
said
they
would
not
be
recommending
any
closures.



► Consultation
revealed
‘powerful
and
passionate
concerns’

► Government
says
proposals
did
not
‘meet
high
thresholds’ 


► RMT
union
hails
‘resounding
victory’
for
its
campaign




The
watchdogs’
announcements
today
have
followed
an
extended
consultation
which
had
attracted
750,000
responses,
many
of
which
’contained
powerful
and
passionate
concerns
about
the
potential
changes‘,
according
to
Transport
Focus.




The
Government
had
wanted
to
see
more
900
offices
closed
to
reduce
railway
costs,
but
transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
said:
‘We
have
engaged
with
accessibility
groups
throughout
this
process
and
listened
carefully
to
passengers
as
well
as
my
colleagues
in
Parliament.
The
proposals
that
have
resulted
from
this
process
do
not
meet
the
high
thresholds
set
by
Ministers,
and
so
the
Government
has
asked
train
operators
to
withdraw
their
proposals.




‘We
will
continue
our
work
to
reform
our
railways
with
the
expansion
of
contactless
Pay
As
You
Go
ticketing,
making
stations
more
accessible
through
our
Access
for
All
programme
and
£350
million
funding
through
our
Network
North
plan
to
improve
accessibility
at
up
to
100
stations.’




Transport
Focus
chief
executive
Anthony
Smith
said:
‘Significant
amendments
and
changes
have
been
secured
by
the
watchdog
–
for
example,
reverting
to
existing
times
when
staff
will
be
on
hand
at
many
stations.
Some
train
companies
were
closer
than
others
in
meeting
our
criteria.




‘However,
serious
overall
concerns
remain
about
how
potentially
useful
innovations,
such
as
“welcome
points”
would
work
in
practice.
We
also
have
questions
about
how
the
impact
of
these
changes
would
be
measured
and
how
future
consultation
on
staffing
levels
will
work.




‘Some
train
companies
were
unable
to
convince
us
about
their
ability
to
sell
a
full
range
of
tickets,
handle
cash
payments
and
avoid
excessive
queues
at
ticket
machines.




’Passengers
must
be
confident
they
can
get
help
when
needed
and
buy
the
right
ticket
in
time
for
the
right
train.’




However,
he
added:
‘Transport
Focus
is
supportive
of
the
principle
of
redeploying
staff
from
ticket
offices
to
improve
the
overall
offer
to
the
passenger.
We
also
recognise
the
extreme
financial
pressure
facing
the
railways
and
the
need
to
find
new,
cost-effective
ways
of
working.
We
will
continue
to
work
with
the
train
companies
to
help
them
resolve
the
issues
raised
by
passengers
during
this
process.’




Some
industry
sources
are
claiming
that
operators
were
privately
irritated
by
having
to
make
the
closure
proposals
at
all,
but
as
government
contractors
they
would
have
had
little
choice.




Rail
Delivery
Group
chief
executive
Jacqueline
Starr
said:
‘Train
companies
committed
to
a
genuine
consultation,
and
worked
closely
with
passenger
bodies
to
build
and
improve
on
the
original
plans.
We
thank
everybody
who
participated
and
for
helping
to
make
our
proposals
better
and
welcome
the
recognition
by
Transport
Focus
that
the
principle
of
moving
staff
to
where
they
can
better
help
passengers,
is
the
right
one.




‘These
proposals
were
about
adapting
the
railway
to
the
changing
needs
of
customers
in
the
smartphone
era,
balanced
against
the
significant
financial
challenge
faced
by
the
industry
as
it
recovers
from
the
pandemic.
At
a
time
when
the
use
of
ticket
offices
is
irreversibly
declining,
we
also
want
to
give
our
people
more
enriching
and
rewarding
careers
geared
towards
giving
passengers
more
visible
face-to-face
support.
While
these
plans
won’t
now
be
taken
forward,
we
will
continue
to
look
at
other
ways
to
improve
passenger
experience
while
delivering
value
for
the
taxpayer.
Our
priority
remains
to
secure
a
vibrant
long-term
future
for
the
industry
and
all
those
who
work
in
it.’




The
RMT,
meanwhile,
had
feared
that
thousands
of
jobs
could
be
lost.




General
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said
it
was
a
‘resounding
victory
for
the
union’s
campaign
and
a
win
for
passengers,
community
groups
and
rail
workers
alike’.




He
continued:
‘We
are
now
calling
for
an
urgent
summit
with
the
government,
train
operating
companies,
disabled
and
community
organisations
and
passenger
groups
to
agree
a
different
route
for
the
rail
network
that
guarantees
the
future
of
our
ticket
offices
and
stations
staff
jobs
to
delivers
a
safe,
secure
and
accessible
service
that
puts
passengers
before
profit.’