Consultation on Ticket Office Closures

Input from passengers and independent watchdogs will help shape final proposals, so all rail users are supported as the railway responds to generational shifts in passenger buying habits.

The consultation is happening as part of an industry-wide set of proposals that would mean ticket office staff would work on station platforms and concourses where they can be closer to customers. Subject to consultation, ticket offices could be phased out over a number of years.

Ticket office staff would be freed up to work in other areas of the station where they are closer to customers and better placed to help, in line with models already in place at some Great Western Railway stations such as Newbury or Reading Green Park.

A new role, based on the existing station multi-skilled roles already in place on the GWR network since 2007, would be created to allow staff to help more customers with a wider range of issues. Instead of being confined to just one area, these roles would be able to help customers in many more ways – including those with additional accessibility needs – wherever they are on the station.

It is a way of working already in place at some Great Western Railway stations, including Newbury and Reading Green Park stations.

Customers’ use of online and digital ticketing has accelerated over the past four years, and today, just 14.5% of GWR tickets are sold at ticket offices. The changes would align the rail industry with many other retailers, including banks, which have offered counter-free services for over a decade.

The Passenger Assist programme – which helps disabled and mobility-impaired customers navigate stations and board trains – will not be affected by the changes. In fact, the proposals are designed to increase staff trained and available to help customers at stations across the network, including those with additional accessibility needs.