Train Station Ticket Offices Will Stay Open In Humiliating U-Turn From Government

Railway station ticket offices in England will not be shut, in a “shambolic” U-turn from the government.Mark Harper, the transport secretary, announced on Tuesday the plan did not meet the “high threshold of serving passengers”.Under proposals announced by rail operators in July, nearly every person-operated ticket office in the country was to be shut.There are 1,007 stations in England and the industry said only 12% of tickets are now bought at offices at stations, compared to 85% in 1995.The move to shut offices triggered widespread opposition from unions who argued it would lead to job losses, and disability groups who said it would make it harder for some people to travel.Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for passengers, said today it opposed to plan having received 750,000 responses a call for evidence.“Some train companies were unable to convince us about their ability to sell a full range of tickets, handle cash payments and avoid excessive queues at ticket machines,” it