Plans to close ticket offices 'go too far, too fast', say MPs

Plans to close most railway ticket offices in England to save money "go too far, too fast", MPs have warned.

In a letter to the Rail Minister, the Transport Committee said the proposals risk "excluding some passengers from the railway".

The plans, which are yet to be approved, have sparked concern from unions and disability groups.

The government said whatever changes the industry makes, it must maintain a high quality service.

The closure plans have been put forward by train operating companies. Operators are under pressure from the government to cut costs after being supported heavily during the Covid pandemic, and argue only 12% of tickets are now bought at station kiosks.

Currently around three out of every five stations has a ticket office, although some are only staffed part time.Under the proposals, most would close.

Some ticket kiosks would remain in large stations, but elsewhere staff would be on concourses to sell tickets, offer travel advice and help people with accessibility.

In the letter, addressed to Rail Minister Huw Merriman, transport committee chair Iain Stewart said that MPs had been looking into the potential effect of the proposals on disabled travellers.

He said some passengers had "legitimate concerns" about whether closing a ticket office would mean they can no longer access the support they need, such as with ticketing, information, safety or access assistance.

"At a minimum, changes this radical should be carefully piloted in limited areas and evaluated for their effect on all passengers before being rolled out," he said.

"This would allow for the alternative proposals, which at present are too vague, to be properly understood."

The planned closures are the latest flashpoint between train companies and unions, who have been in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions, which has resulted in a series of strikes since last summer.

There have also been threats of legal challenges from disability campaigners, and from five Labour metro mayors.

But the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, has consistently defended the proposals.

The industry argues staff would instead be present on platforms and concourses to sell tickets, offer travel advice and help people with accessibility.

A public consultation into the plan was launched earlier this year to collect passengers' views.

Passenger watchdogs Transport Focus and London Travelwatch are currently assessing the record number of responses that were received to that consultation.They are due to publish their findings by 31 October. If the watchdogs object, the final decision rests with the transport secretary.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "While these are industry proposals, we have been consistently clear that the industry must ensure that the quality of service for passengers is maintained to a high standard.

"The public consultation has now closed and independent passenger representatives will review the responses with train operating companies shortly."