Plans to close railway ticket offices in England scrapped

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the Government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals, which were brought forward due to pressure from ministers to cut costs.

This is in response to watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch announcing they opposed every single planned closure due to issues such as the impact on accessibility.

As reported by The Press, under the plans the ticket office at York Railway Station would remain but facilities at hundreds of quieter stations would close.

York Railway Station (Image: Dylan Connell)

After the announcement, protestors gathered outside York Railway Station in July raising concern over the plans which they said could stop them from travelling by train.

• York protestors say closing ticket offices would have ‘catastrophic’ impact

Mr Harper confirmed the plans had hit the buffers.

He said: “We have engaged with accessibility groups throughout this process and listened carefully to passengers as well as my colleagues in Parliament.

“The proposals that have resulted from this process do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers, and so the Government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals.”

The protest outside York Railway Station in July (Image: Dylan Connell)

Plans to close the vast majority of station ticket offices in England, plus Avanti West Coast’s ticket office at Glasgow Central, were brought forward by train operators and their representative body, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).

This followed pressure from the UK Government to save money amid the drop in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

A train operator source told the PA news agency: “There is quiet fury in the rail industry about where we’ve got to.

“The plan was signed off by civil servants and ministers. They’ve U-turned.”

Flick Williams, a visually impaired wheelchair user and disability rights activist and campaigner from York, campaigned against the plans.

Flick Williams at the York protest against closing railway ticket offices in July (Image: Dylan Connell)

After today’s announcement, she told The Press: “It’s fantastic news - to me it demonstrates that people power still counts for something.”

Despite the plans being dropped, Ms Williams said there was still work to do to support disabled and older train passengers.

“We’re not entirely out of the woods,” she said. “We need to keep on the pressure.”

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Ms Williams explained how on six of her recent train journeys passenger assist (further support for disabled passengers) had failed twice.

“It just adds to the stress of travelling,” she said. “It’s a real worry that you’re going to end up miles away from where you want to be.”

York central MP Rachael Maskell welcomed the decision to scrap the plans. 

She said: "I am delighted that common sense has prevailed over the Government’s petty plans. 

"People across the country will now be able to get a face to face service and get the help they need to undertake their journeys across the rail network.” 

Selby and Ainsty MP Keir Mather also welcomed the decision. 

He said: "These proposals would have been devastating for the rail users of Selby and Ainsty, putting accessibility and jobs at risk.

"This was a rushed consultation forced through by the Government, which would have worsened passenger safety, security and services all with the aim to cut costs long-term."

Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Lynch said the plans being scrapped was a “resounding victory” for the campaign against the closures.

In September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested closing ticket offices was “the right thing for the British public and British taxpayers” as “only one in 10 tickets are sold currently in ticket offices”.