Government reverses decision to close rail ticket offices

The government has reversed its decision to close most ticket offices at train stations across England, it was revealed on Tuesday, citing a failure to meet the “high threshold of serving passengers”.

According to Sky News, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) initially announced plans to close nearly all of the country’s 1,007 train station outlets as a cost-saving measure following a decline in passenger numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Transport secretary Mark Harper confirmed the reversal on Tuesday, however, after a public consultation, stating that the proposals did not meet the required standards for serving passengers.

This decision was a significant victory for unions, charities, and passenger groups that opposed the closures over concerns about the impact on vulnerable passengers.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak previously voiced support for the closures, Sky News reported, arguing that just one in 10 tickets were sold at ticket offices.

However, Mark Harper claimed on Tuesday that the government had consistently communicated the need for the proposals to meet high passenger service standards.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.