Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to safeguard the role of the ticket office across the rail network.

No final decision has been taken on ticket offices. Ticket offices have seen a significant decline in use over the last decade, yet their numbers have not substantially changed. Staff will always provide face-to-face services on the railways, which can be crucial for those who need additional support and cannot, or do not want to, use contactless or mobile tickets.

There is a process for train operators to propose any changes to the opening hours of ticket offices or for closing ticket offices which is set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, which regulates what train operators can do in terms of fares, ticketing and retailing across the network. This can be found on the Rail Delivery Group’s website.