Is this end of line for train ticket office?
Nearly every one faces the axe
NEARLY all remaining train station ticket offices in England will shut in plans to be published by rail chiefs today.
The move will be seen as a bid by ministers and rail bosses to bounce striking union barons into getting back round the negotiating table after talks stalled.
But it could also backfire by inflaming already rock-bottom relations and sparking more walkouts.
Last night the militant RMT union, which has been striking since last June, warned it would ‘bring into effect the full industrial force of the union’ to stop any closures.
A 21- day consultation will be launched, during which travellers can give their views.
It means the volume of closures being proposed – as many as 1,000 offices – is not guaranteed.
Posters will be displayed in affected stations informing the public about how to take part. The consultation will also be advertised on each of the train operators’ websites.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper will have the final say on the volume of closures.
According to industry figures, the Department of Transport runs 1,766 train stations in England. Of these, 43 per cent (759) already operate without a ticket office.
A further 40 per cent (708) have ticket offices staffed parttime and 17 per cent (299) fulltime. The vast majority of these 1,007 stations, either with a part-time or full-time office, will close under the plans. But major hubs, such as London Waterloo, will not face the axe.
Ministers say the closures are needed to make savings after the industry was bailed out by more than £15 billion during the pandemic.
They point out that only around 12 per cent of fares are now bought from a ticket office, with most opting to buy online and use a digital ticket or buy them from machines.
The proposals would also bring England into line with countries such as Sweden and Switzerland.
Sweden’s national rail operator closed the last of its ticket offices in 2021. Switzerland’s railways also run with most ticket offices closed.
Travellers would instead have to use self-service ticket machines, tap-in with their credit cards or buy tickets online before travelling.
Ticket office staff would be re-deployed onto platforms to help people use machines or assist with bookings made online. Critics fear, however, that it could cause issues for disabled people and pensioners, who may be unable to use the internet.
The issue has been at the centre of a dispute with the militant RMT union, but it has refused to accept closures as part of a pay deal. One senior rail source said: ‘ The unions need to know we’re going to get on with it now.’
But RMT boss Mick Lynch hit back last night, saying: ‘RMT will bring into effect the full industrial force of the union to stop any plans to close ticket offices, including on our upcoming strike days ... in the national rail dispute.’ And Peter Pendle, boss of the TSSA union, which also represents station staff, said: ‘Ministers will soon realise that the public have no desire to see their rail network diminished in this way.’
It comes after the RMT sparked fury last month by targeting the first weekend of the school summer holidays with strikes. Around 20,000 of its members who work for 14 train companies covering most of England will walk out on July 20, 22 and 29.
Most schools break up for summer on July 21.
The RMT struck a deal with Network Rail over pay in March this year. But a separate dispute involving workers for the train operators, such as Avanti West Coast, LNER and Greater Anglia, is yet to be resolved. It is this dispute in which ticket office closures have been a sticking point.
A separate dispute involving the Aslef train drivers’ union is also yet to be resolved.
The RMT has snubbed a 9 per cent offer over two years for station staff and guards, although its members who work for Network Rail accepted 9 per cent in March.
Aslef has refused an 8 per cent increase over two years.
‘May affect the elderly’