Ministers should reconsider rail ticket office closures in England, MPs urge

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Plans for the mass closure of railway ticket offices in England have gone “too far, too fast” and should be reconsidered, MPs have told the government.

In a letter published on Monday, the House of Commons transport select committee warned that the proposals risked “excluding some passengers from the railway”, including disabled travellers and “those with access needs”. It also raised concerns over the public consultation process launched by the industry.

The pushback came after train companies in July outlined government-backed plans to close nearly every ticket office in England to save money, triggering a backlash from unions, passenger lobby groups and disability charities.

“The proposals as put forward by train operating companies in this consultation go too far, too fast,” the committee chair Iain Stewart wrote in the letter to transport minister Huw Merriman.

The cross-party group of MPs also criticised the “lack of information and analysis” from both industry and government over the impact of the proposed closures. They added that it was “perplexing” that the plans were put forward before the complex rail ticketing system had been simplified as promised by the government.

“We have heard numerous concerns regarding both the consultation process for the ticket office changes and the proposals themselves, in terms of what they will mean for disabled people travelling on the rail network,” the committee said.

Rail companies have been tasked with finding significant savings by the government following the collapse in passenger revenue during the pandemic and the subsequent fall in commuting.

The industry has been subsidised by the taxpayer ever since privatisation in the mid-1990s but it was in effect fully renationalised during the pandemic as part of a government bailout, leaving ministers in full control of its finances.

Train operators have already started to cut costs, including by running fewer trains and reducing cleaning and catering services to reflect the fall in demand.

But industry executives said plans to close virtually every ticket office would represent the most significant cost-cutting measure, although there are no publicly available estimates of potential savings.

The proposals are part of a wider push to cut labour costs by reducing headcount and modernising working practices, which has led to a long-running industrial dispute — the biggest on the railways since privatisation.

The widespread adoption of digital ticketing has left ticket offices selling just 12 per cent of fares. The industry’s proposals include retraining sales staff so they can be moved on to station platforms and concourses.

But unions claim that this would lead to job losses and leave smaller stations unstaffed at certain points during the day.

Two passenger watchdogs — London Travelwatch and Transport Focus — are assessing the public response to the consultation, and will make recommendations on a station-by-station basis.

If the industry challenges any of the recommendations, the transport secretary will make the final decision on whether to close a ticket office.

The government said in a statement that it has been “consistently clear that the industry must ensure that the quality of service for passengers is maintained to a high standard”.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail industry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.