Ticket Office closures: RMT to hold mass rally outside King’s Cross station

The RMT union is set to hold a mass rally in London in a campaign to save hundreds of ticket offices across the country.

Last week the Rail Delivery Group announced plans to close up to 1,000 ticket offices across England over the next three years.

Under the proposals some ticket kiosks will remain in larger stations, but the Rail Delivery Group claims ticket office staff will be transitioned to “customer help” roles, giving advice and supporting customers with accessibility needs.

Around three out of five stations currently have a ticket office.

There are concerns that the move could lead to job losses, and put some vulnerable passengers such as those who are disabled or elderly off train travel.

A 21 day public consultation is being run by independent watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch to collect passengers’ views. The consultation will close on July 26.

The RMT union is encouraging everyone to take part in the consultation, so rail companies and the government understand how much rail passengers value their ticket offices and staff.

In London, the union will hold a mass rally outside King’s Cross station at 6pm on Thursday July 13, while local stations will be leafleted.

General Secretary Mick Lynch said: "Our union is taking our campaign to save ticket offices out into every town, city and village in this country.

"The recent announcements of ticket office closures is 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.

"Ticket office closures under Schedule 17 means there will be no regulations on staffing levels at stations whatsoever.

"Train operators will then be free to staff or de-staff any station to whatever level they choose.

"Our union and the travelling public do not want a de-humanised railway that will be a rife with crime and anti-social behaviour, inaccessible to the most vulnerable.

"We will fight these plans all the way and need the public’s support in joining our campaign and taking part in the consultation."

The Department for Transport said the proposals were not about cutting jobs, but about modernising the railway to make sure the sector survived.

The closures aren’t expected to begin until autumn.