Proposals to close almost all ticket offices in England were announced on 5 July, with even major stations such as Euston, Paddington, Waterloo, Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly to lose their facilities.
Announced by the Rail Delivery Group – although Modern Railways understands the proposals were firmly driven by the Treasury – the proposals are subject to public consultation which runs until 21 July. Only Merseyrail, London Overground and MTR Elizabeth line are unaffected in England by virtue of their concession arrangements, while there are no plans in Scotland or Wales for mass ticket office closures.
Ticketing facilities will be replaced by staff in ‘multi-skilled’ roles on platforms and concourses offering assistance to passengers. The RDG says that only one in eight tickets – 12.5% - is sold via a ticket office and that 99% of products can be sold at ticket machines or online. For tickets which cannot be bought at machines, the RDG says they will be available on trains or – if it has a ticket office – at the destination. It adds that the moves will not affect train operators’ ability to provide wheelchair and mobility support and that mobile assistance teams will be created to offer extra help where needed.
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