Plans to close railway station ticket offices in England have been scrapped, in yet another government U-turn. Transport secretary, Mark Harper, said: “The government had asked train operators to withdraw their proposals”. This latest move came following what was a huge public backlash to the cost-cutting proposals, which attracted 750,000 responses in a public consultation, 99% of which were objections, according to the passenger watchdogs managing the survey. Speaking via Twitter, Eccles councillors who had voiced concerns over the closures which would have seen Salford stations affected, said: "Fantastic news! The government have U-turned and have scrapped plans to close ticket offices! "Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation, and helped saved ticket offices like Eccles across the country." The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced over the summer that almost all of the 1,007 train station outlets would be shut down in an effort to reduce costs after a post-COVID fall in passenger numbers. Ministers had backed the proposals, despite concerns from unions and charities over the impact on vulnerable passengers. Mr Harper said in his statement: "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. "We will continue our work to reform our railways with the expansion of contactless Pay As You Go ticketing, making stations more accessible through our Access for All programme and £350m funding through our Network North plan to improve accessibility at up to 100 stations." RDG Chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: "While these plans won't now be taken forward, we will continue to look at other ways to improve passenger experience while delivering value for the taxpayer. "Our priority remains to secure a vibrant long-term future for the industry and all those who work in it."
