Most
station
ticket
offices
in
England
are
set
to
be
axed,
it
has
been
confirmed.

Consultations
into
proposals
to
close
the
offices
at
all
but
the
largest
stations
have
been
launched.
They
will
run
for
21
days.

The
government
has
been
accused
of
‘ducking
and
diving’
from
scrutiny.

The
Rail
Delivery
Group
said:
‘The
proposals
would
help
bring
station
retailing
up
to
date
from
the
mid
90s,
when
the
rules
on
how
to
sell
tickets
were
set
and
before
the
invention
of
the
smartphone.
Back
then,
82
per
cent
of
all
tickets
were
sold
at
ticket
offices,
compared
to
just
12
per
cent
on
average
today,
a
downward
trend
which
accelerated
during
the
pandemic.’

Industrial
tensions
over
pay
and
conditions
are
continuing.
ASLEF
is
staging
an
overtime
ban
at
most
English
train
operators
this
week,
and
the
RMT
has
called
three
24-hour
walkouts
later
this
month.

The
Rail
Delivery
Group
added
that
the
proposals
were
‘being
launched
against
the
backdrop
of
long-running
industrial
action
by
rail
unions
RMT
and
ASLEF
over
changes
necessary
to
bring
the
railway
up
to
date
and
make
it
sustainable
in
the
long
term,
with
revenue
continuing
to
languish
at
30
per
cent
below
pre-pandemic
levels.
As
RMT
talks
stalled
due
to
their
refusal
to
put
a
pay
and
jobs
guarantee
offer
to
its
membership,
train
companies
must
now
move
ahead
with
essential
reforms
to
bring
the
industry
in
line
with
the
modern
retailing,
while
maintaining
valuable
staff
contact
for
customers.’

Ministers
say
they
want
to
make
station
staff
‘more
visible
and
accessible’,
but
Labour
shadow
transport
secretary
Louise
Haigh
said:
‘Despite
the
concerns
of
vulnerable
passengers,
Conservative
ministers
are
ducking
and
diving
from
scrutiny.

‘They
refuse
to
say
how
many
stations
have
alternatives
to
ticket
offices,
what
the
impact
will
be
on
jobs,
or
how
it
will
hit
vulnerable
rail
users.

‘The
Conservatives
should
come
clean,
and
give
passengers
the
answers
they
deserve.

‘Railroading
this
decision
in
just
three
weeks,
without
proper
consideration
for
staff
and
vulnerable
passengers,
only
risks
exacerbating
the
managed
decline
of
the
rail
network.’

Passenger
watchdogs
Transport
Focus
and
London
TravelWatch
are
inviting
responses
to
the
plan,
saying:
‘We
will
use
this
feedback
to
formally
respond
to
the
rail
industry
about
the
proposals.’

Transport
Focus
chief
executive
Anthony
Smith
said:
‘It’s
important
for
people
to
have
their
say.
We
urge
passengers
to
look
at
the
proposals
and
tell
us
what
the
ticket
office
changes
might
mean
for
them.
Transport
Focus
will
make
sure
passengers’
views
are
heard.

‘It
is
a
regulatory
requirement
as
part
of
this
process
that
Transport
Focus
and
passengers
are
consulted.
Transport
Focus
will
review
the
impact
of
the
proposed
changes
and
passenger
comments
received
before
responding
to
train
operator
proposals.’ 

The
proposals
will
technically
come
from
individual
train
operators,
but
the


government
has
been
collecting
revenue
and
paying
operators’
costs
since
the
Covid-19 pandemic.

Rail
minister
Huw
Merriman
told
the
Commons
on
29
June
that
‘together
with
the
industry
we
want
to
modernise
the
passenger
experience
by
moving
staff
out
from
ticket
offices
to
more
visible
and
accessible
roles
around
the
station.
Staff
will
be
better
placed
to
assist
passengers
who
need
additional
support
and
to
provide
face-to-face
help
in
customer
focused
roles.
To
propose
any
changes
to
the
opening
hours,
or
the
closure
of
ticket
offices,
train
operating
companies
must
follow
the
process
set
out
in
the
Ticketing
and
Settlement
Agreement.’