UK railway ticket offices set for mass closure under plans to ‘modernise’ industry

Plans for a mass closure of railway station ticket offices in England have today been announced.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) unveiled proposals which could lead to nearly 1,000 offices being shut, with facilities only remaining open at the busiest stations.

The RDG said moving ticket office staff on to station platforms and concourses would “modernise customer service”. There are 1,007 stations in England run by train companies operating under contracts issued by the UK government and posters are now being displayed at the vast majority of these informing passengers about their potential closure.

The government will make the final decision on which offices will be axed following a consultation. It is not yet known how quickly the first sites will close, but the programme is expected to last for three years. Train companies across England are due to launch passenger consultations on the ticket office closures.

According to rail sources quoted by campaign group the Association of British Commuters, an announcement of public consultations - which is the first stage in the formal process - will come in early July.

Ministers have not yet laid out the full plans due to concerns over backlash from their own MPs as well as railway passengers across the country and unions.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the union “will vigorously oppose any moves to close ticket offices” and would “bring into effect the full industrial force of the union to stop any plans”. He said: “We will not meekly sit by and allow thousands of jobs to be sacrificed or see disabled and vulnerable passengers left unable to use the railways as a result.”

The industry argues that since only about one in eight tickets are now bought at a ticket office, the public would benefit from staff being moved from offices to other roles, such as on station concourses.

The impending closures come as the rail industry faces pressure from the government to save money amid the drop in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The plan has sparked fury from trade unions and disability groups, with concerns also raised by public transport organisations amid fears the move could lead to job losses and put some vulnerable passengers off train travel. The RDG said 12% of train tickets are bought from offices at stations, down from 82% in 1995.

Passengers will be asked to pay for journeys by tapping contactless cards on barriers, using self-service machines, or buying tickets from staff on station concourses or trains if possible.

Transport Salaried Staffs Association interim general secretary Peter Pendle said: “We are clear the Government will face strong opposition from this union on the totally unnecessary mass closure of ticket offices. Ministers will soon realise that the public have no desire to see their rail network diminished in this way.”

A spokesperson for the RDG said “any changes would be subject to employee and public consultations” and “staff always remain front of mind” so they will be the first to know.

RDG chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: “The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them. 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.

“Our commitment is that we will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training to move into new more engaging roles.

“We also understand that our customers have differing needs, which is why the industry widely sought the views of accessibility and passenger groups when creating these proposals, and will continue to through the consultation. We encourage those who wish to take part to go to their local train company website or visit Transport Focus or London TravelWatch.”

It comes after the RMT and the train drivers’ union Aslef both announced industrial action in July that is set to hit more than a dozen train operators based in England.

The RMT, which began striking on 21 June 2022, has called three more days of walk-outs in July on Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 in a dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions.

The strikes will see 20,000 workers walk out and are aimed at train firms contracted by the Department for Transport, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and Great Western Railway.

Mr Lynch has described the latest pay offer from the train operators as “substandard” and said the strikes in July “will show the country just how important railway staff are to the running of the rail industry.”

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “We don’t want to inconvenience the public. We just want to see our members paid fairly during a cost of living crisis when inflation is running at above 10% and to not see our terms and conditions taken away. It’s time for the government and the companies to think again and look for a resolution.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said more strikes are “totally unnecessary” as “we remain open to talks and we have said repeatedly that we want to give our people a pay rise.”

He said: “We have now made three offers that the RMT executive have blocked without a convincing explanation. Sadly our staff, our customers and the communities across the country which rely on a thriving railway are the ones that are suffering as a result.”