Tory ministers encouraged train bosses to draw up plans for the mass closure of railway ticket offices, it can be revealed.
The Government is under growing pressure from its own MPs to abandon the move to shut counters at 974 stations in England. A railway industry source said ministers had sent train firms “charging over the hill” with the dramatic proposal.
Another insider told the Mirror: “They asked how to save a lot of money and gave a mandate to do the consultation on the closures. It was not as if they said: ‘Are you sure?’ They understood it, they wanted it.”
The Mirror is leading efforts to stop the closures, which will particularly hit the elderly, vulnerable and disabled. We are hosting a Save Our Ticket Offices online rally this Thursday at 5pm.
As the backlash over the changes has grown, several Tory ministers have criticised closures in their own areas. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt contacted rail bosses to complain about plans to shut ticket counters in his South West Surrey constituency the day before the proposals were announced.
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Robert Jenrick, the Immigration Minister, was branded a “hypocrite” after he publicly called for train operators to abandon plans to shut ticket offices in Newark in Nottinghamshire where he is the MP. He posted on Facebook that he had “voiced concerns” to train bosses after constituents warned about the “impact on the disabled and the blind, ability to get tickets not readily available online or at a machine, and concerns for safety and the potential for a rise in anti-social behaviour”.
Just one in five voters back the plan to close almost every railway ticket office, according to polling. Train bosses have claimed that it will lead to more staff helping passengers on platforms. But a Mirror poll found two thirds (67%) believe it's being done to cut costs, rather than to improve how people are assisted. The Redfield & Wilton survey, conducted for this newspaper, showed 51% oppose the plan to close ticket offices, with just 21% in support.
The RMT union, which represents many rail workers, has warned the closures could lead to up to 2,300 job losses.
Passengers have got until September 1 to have their say on the proposals. So far around 400,000 have responded to the official consultation that is being run by the Transport Focus and TravelWatch London passenger groups. The train firms extended the deadline as they faced the threat of legal challenge over their decision to initially give the public just 21 days to provide feedback.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "The rail industry’s consultations run until September 1 and are about enhancing the role of station workers to better support all passengers. No final decisions have been made."
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