Up to 1,000 train station ticket offices are set to close down permanently - including many in Greater Manchester.
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has unveiled plans that could lead to nearly all ticket offices across the country being closed.
That includes those at some of the UK's busiest stations, such as Manchester Piccadilly, London Waterloo, London Euston and Birmingham New Street.
Almost 600 of the stations whose ticket offices could close have been named. You can search for them using our interactive map. Simply enter your postcode to zoom into your area.
The map doesn’t cover all of the proposed closures. The specific stations operated by Southeastern which will have tickets closed have not been provided.
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However, they have said that ticket offices at medium and larger sized stations will close. That’s also going to be the case for smaller stations where the only staff currently on the station is the person in the ticket office, The Mirror reports.
In fiery scenes in parliament this week Conservative MPs have warned the Government that the “wholly inadequate” technology at train stations will not be a fair replacement for closed ticket offices, Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland was among the MPs warning ministers of the impact of the planned mass closures.
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) this week unveiled proposals which could lead to nearly all offices being shut. This includes those at some of the UK’s busiest stations, such as London Waterloo, London Euston, Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly.
It comes after Transport Secretary Mark Harper wrote to train operators asking them to cut costs. South Swindon MP Sir Robert told the Commons: “Residents in Swindon had a taste of things to come yesterday potentially when the ticket office was closed and people were queuing out of the door to deal with the wholly inadequate machines that are at the station. Wi-fi was unreliable as well.
“Isn’t the truth this: that if we are to proceed with this significant change then the technology that is available to customers has to be significantly better?” Jason McCartney, the Conservative MP for Colne Valley, said he had “huge concerns” about the plans’ effect on passengers.
He added: “When the computer says no, doesn’t he agree with me the best way for them to get advice on ticketing, a refund, an alternative route to go, when the next trains are coming, is by speaking to fully-trained staff in ticket offices?” Tory former minister Tim Loughton meanwhile claimed some ticket options are not available through ticket machines.
He told MPs: “I have to queue because I have an open flexible ticket as many of us do, which I can’t get in the machine. “Isn’t it the case that these roving members of staff will not be subject to statutory regulation, because ticket office staff are the only ones subject to statutory regulation at the moment?
“So I might not even be able to find a roving member of staff to take me to the machine to give me a ticket which the machine won’t give me. It is not going to work is it?” Transport minister Huw Merriman responded: “99% of all tickets can be purchased over a ticket machine or online.
“Then in terms of the 1% that we then need to work on, as part of this process, I have charged the industry and officials to speed up the process so that more can be purchased in that particular manner, and changing ticket machines so that can occur.”
Mr Merriman had earlier said the plans were “about taking expert ticketing staff into the parts of the station where currently they are not being seen”. He added: “So if only 10% of tickets are sold across the ticket counter, to use it crudely that means that 90% of the passengers are not accessing that member of staff.”
The minister earlier said: “Crucially, no currently staffed stations will be unstaffed as a result of this reform. Staff will still be there to provide assistance and additional support to those who need and want it. This approach will take into consideration the potential impact on individuals with protected characteristics.” Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh claimed the proposals were “merely a prelude for job losses”.
The Labour frontbencher added: “Because we know what this is really about, it’s not about reforming our railways, they have already ditched plans for GB rail, it’s not about modernisation, his department has already confirmed the contactless ticket rollout is limited to London and the Southeast… “This is about one thing and one thing only: the Conservatives crashed the economy and now they are asking for more self-defeating cuts on our declining railways.”
