Ticket office cuts by three rail firms are just a test run for fresh round of reductions, campaigners warn

Cuts to ticket office opening hours by three rail providers across England and Scotland are just a forerunner of further reductions to come across the country, which will have a significant impact on disabled passengers, campaigners have warned.

The warning came after months of research by the Association of British Commuters (ABC), which has examined cuts proposed and implemented by ScotRail, Southeastern and Great Western Railway (GWR).

ABC, which has already exposed the actions of Southeastern, believes the UK and Scottish governments have been pushing for cuts in ticket office hours.

Only 16 months ago, Conservative ministers scrapped proposals to shut nearly 1,000 ticket offices across England, following a huge campaign by disabled-led groups, trade unions and allies.

But at the time, the government and train operating companies refused to rule out further attempts to close rail ticket offices.

Major cuts in ticket office opening hours would have a significant negative impact on many disabled passengers and others who need support to use rail services.

But ABC says rail sources are now making it clear that the industry and governments in Scotland and Whitehall are pushing for “Ticket Office Cuts Round Two”, which they had hoped to carry out by “stealth”.

Thanks to ABC, plans by Southeastern to make drastic cuts to ticket office hours – of 555 hours a week – have been paused at 12 of 14 proposed stations in Kent, East Sussex and south-east London while the Department for Transport (DfT) decides whether they can proceed.

Those plans were described by disabled campaigners in November as “unforgivable” and “horrendous”.

Southeastern confirmed this week that its plans for cuts at the 12 stations were still on hold while it awaits a decision from DfT.

The Scottish government-owned ScotRail has previously admitted that 31 of its stations will have ticket office hours cut.

But an examination of a new version of its plans shows that nearly 100 stations will see ticket office hours cut.

The RMT union says these cuts “would see ticket office hours reduced by a staggering 2,800 per week, jeopardising safety, accessibility, and quality of service for passengers”.

Last week, RMT and other organisations, including Inclusion Scotland, Transport for All, Disability Equality Scotland, Disability Rights UK and Disabled People Against Cuts, wrote to the Scottish government about the proposed ticket office cuts at ScotRail stations.

They said the plans had previously been opposed by 98 per cent of those who took part in a public consultation three years ago.

They said they believed there was “an attempt to evade public scrutiny over this matter”.

ABC has also discovered that GWR has already carried out a programme of “stealth” cuts at 39 stations between 2022 and late 2024, with freedom of information requests and data analysis showing this led to a reduction in ticket office staffing of 344 hours per week.

Emily Sullivan (née Yates), a disabled researcher and co-founder of ABC, who carried out the latest research, believes GWR is planning a further round of cuts to ticket office hours.

She said: “Sources have informed us that ‘all eyes are on ScotRail and Southeastern’ to see if they get away with it, and if these operators succeed, similar de-staffing techniques will spread across England.

“Staff cuts are being rumoured at GWR as we speak, so it is suspected to be the first in this new wave of attempts, having already served as the first ‘test’ operator in the original stealth plan.

“The crucial difference to 2023 is that this time it is happening piecemeal without anyone even knowing about it.

“That’s because the DfT has found a way to cut ticket office and staffing hours without consultation – as shown by the 39 ticket office cuts already completed on GWR, in total secrecy until now.

“It is indisputable that the cuts go back to a DfT ‘Plan B’ hatched in 2022, when stealth regulatory changes for these three operators were first signed off.

“Those very same plans are now being enacted by the UK and Scottish governments.

“After the collapse of ticket office consultations in 2023, it would be completely non-credible for the DfT to shrug off responsibility for these cuts onto operators – everybody involved in the railway knows exactly who is giving the orders.”

ScotRail repeatedly refused to comment this week on ABC’s concerns, referring Disability News Service instead to a press release published last month.

In last month’s statement, Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s customer operations director, said: “The changes that will be introduced from 31 March will provide a service that is better suited for the ticket-buying habits of our customers today, rather than 30 years ago, and will create an environment that improves safety and customer support.

“We have listened to colleagues, customers, and the trade unions throughout this process and have made changes to the proposals based on that feedback.

“We will now redouble our efforts to grow passenger numbers and revenue as we deliver a safe, reliable, and green railway.”

Transport Scotland refused to comment on the number of ticket offices where there would be cuts to opening hours under ScotRail’s plans.

It also refused to say if it was disputing that cuts to opening hours would negatively impact disabled passengers.

But it said in a statement: “We welcome that ScotRail and the unions have engaged in consultation, and that unions were listened to during the process to influence changes.

“This shows the importance of consultation and dialogue.

“We expect this to continue and that the changes will not impact passengers’ convenience and facilities.

“To be clear, these amendments will not see any ticket office closures.

“There will be no job losses and arrangements to assist disabled travellers will not be affected.”

GWR disputed ABC’s figures but refused to say how many ticket offices had seen cuts, and for how many hours in total.

A GWR spokesperson said in a statement: “We’ve not closed any ticket offices and can only do so following public consultation under the schedule 17 regulations.

“We are not aware of any national programme of cuts – stealth or otherwise.

“Train operators regularly adjust ticket office hours to align with customer demand, ensuring resources are allocated effectively.

“Changes have only affected offices with daily reductions of under 20 minutes or where average ticket sales are fewer than seven per hour.

“No station has become unstaffed as a result of these changes. In fact, in the past year the number of station staff at our stations has actually increased.

“Nothing has happened in secret – while regulations covering these minor changes don’t require a formal consultation period, we publicly display posters highlighting the proposals for 28 days ahead of any alterations.”

DfT said it was for the rail industry to decide if, and when, any changes to ticket office opening hours were required.

A DfT spokesperson said: “These claims are incorrect, there are currently no plans to introduce wholesale ticket office closures.

“We recognise the vital role ticket offices and staff play in the journeys of passengers and providing face-to-face services.

“Changes made in 2022 by operators like Southeastern were an industry-led decision, and we will ensure that passengers with accessibility needs continue to receive the support they need.”

Meanwhile, the Commons transport committee has written to rail minister Lord [Peter] Hendy over concerns raised by ABC last month about the government’s proposed rail reforms.

ABC had spotted that the consultation on the government’s plans for rail reform failed to include any mention of a statutory accessibility duty, despite the Conservative government pledging to introduce a legal duty on the new Great British Railways (GBR) that would ensure GBR put accessibility “at the core of its strategic decisions”.

Those concerns were backed by representatives of Disabled People Against Cuts, National Pensioners Convention and National Federation of the Blind of the UK.

They also called for the consultation to be extended from eight weeks to 12.

Ruth Cadbury, chair of the transport committee, asked in the letter to Lord Hendy for clarity on whether the government had indeed dropped the access duty – and other statutory duties – and on its decision to restrict the consultation to just eight weeks.

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