UK Government Cancels Plan to Close Nearly 1,000 Railway Ticket Offices, Citing Passenger Service Concerns

U-turn due to public dissent garners calls for urgent discussions to secure railways' future, amidst concerns over service accessibility and impact on vulnerable passengers.

Originally backed by the government and the rail sector, the proposal to close nearly 1,000 ticket offices were aimed to modernize the railway network and faced opposition from regional mayors, senior Tory backbenchers, general public and unions.
Concerns were raised for the elderly and disabled who relied on in-person ticket office services and might struggle with using machines.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper scrapped the plans after a consultation process that received over 750,000 responses, claiming the proposals insufficient in meeting the high threshold of serving passengers.
The RMT rail union, Transport Focus and ASLEF train driver’s union hailed the cancellation of closure plans as a victory.
Despite the reversal, the government plans to continue reforming railways with the expansion of contactless Pay As You Go ticketing, improving station accessibility through the Access for All programme and investing £350m for enhancing accessibility at up to 100 stations.