Plans to close most UK railway ticket offices to kick off ‘in weeks’

theguardian.com:

A process to shut nearly all of Britain’s railway station ticket offices could begin as early as next week, the RMT union has warned.

Almost 1,000 offices are believed to be targeted for closure under government proposals to cut costs and “modernise” the railway, although ministers have for months shied away from spelling out the extent of the plans, in the face of concern from their own MPs as well as unions and passenger groups.

However, an announcement of public consultations, the first stage in the formal process, will come in early July, according to rail sources quoted by the Association of British Commuters, a campaign group.

Unions and campaigners have warned that cutting ticket offices will make it harder for vulnerable passengers and people with disabilities to travel by rail.

With only about one in eight tickets now bought at a ticket office, the industry argues the public would be better served by moving staff from offices to broader roles on station concourses.

The Department for Transport did not comment on the timing, while the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said staff would be informed before any public announcement.

The fate of ticket offices has been a significant element in the dispute over pay for rail workers, which has led to repeated strike action. While RMT members at Network Rail voted to accept a 9% pay offer over two years, the union has rejected a similar pay offer from train operators, with temporary guarantees over job security regarded as insufficient as many existing roles are set to be scrapped.

Negotiators have been unable to seal agreement on reforms as part of the pay dispute, but ministers now want firms to push ahead with changes.

The smaller TSSA union – which has