Sadiq Khan ‘not approached’ to join legal action against train station ticket office closures

London mayor Sadiq Khan was not approached by five Labour mayors threatening train operators with legal action over plans to close ticket offices.

Mr Khan has, however, said it is “essential” the full implications of closures are considered and affected groups properly consulted.

The Mirror reported five Labour mayors including Andy Burnham and Tracy Brabin are “preparing to launch legal action” over plans to close around 1,000 ticket offices in England.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, says the plans will help modernise rail retailing.

A public consultation, which is being facilitated by Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, is due to run until next Wednesday (July 26).

The group of mayors have said they will launch a legal challenge against TransPennine Express, Northern, LNER, EMR, Thameslink, Greater Anglia and Avanti unless the consultation is postponed.

In a piece for the Mirror, Mr Burnham wrote: “We do not believe the train operators have taken the required steps in law to make a change on this scale and hear the voices of those most affected. We believe we can stop them in their tracks.”

Asked whether Mr Khan was planning to join the other Labour mayors, a spokesperson said he had not been approached.

They said: “It is essential that the full implications of rail ticket office closures are considered and that passenger groups and the workforce - through its trade unions - are consulted. Millions of commuters use London’s rail stations daily, and everything possible must be done to ensure all passengers feel safe and able to access the assistance and information they need.”

The spokesperson added TfL stations are staffed from the first to the last train, with a combination of online ticket options and ticketing machines available.

The RMT union last week (July 13) held a mass rally opposing the plans, which general secretary Mick Lynch described as “a fig-leaf for the wholescale de-staffing of stations, including safety critical train dispatch, safety critical train despatch staff, passenger assistance and other non-ticket office customer service workers”.

An RDG spokesperson said: "All train operators are complying with the consultation process as set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. They include proposals which, across the network as a whole, would see more staff on concourses and ticket halls to help passengers than there are today, helping with a whole range of needs, from buying tickets to journey planning and helping with accessibility needs.

"We encourage anyone who wants to find out more to contact their local train company, or submit their views to independent passenger watchdogs Transport Focus or London Travel Watch."