Blind rail passenger says ticket office closures are a 'grave mistake'

A visually impaired rail passenger has criticised planned ticket office closures as a "grave mistake".

A consultation ends on Wednesday on plans to close hundreds of station ticket offices across England, including many in Yorkshire.

The Rail Delivery Group says 12% of tickets were bought at offices in 2022.

Catherine Harris, of Sheffield, who is registered blind, said the move would lead to fewer people travelling by train as many need help at stations.

In the future, rail users would have to buy their tickets online, during the journey or at a ticket office en-route.

While staff would be on hand to assist with purchasing tickets, customers would generally be expected to use self-service ticket machines, which are often cashless.

Mrs Harris, of Jordanthorpe, said: "It's a wide open area in those train stations if you don't have the help you need, you're limited on where you can go because we need the help.

"I think they'll make a grave mistake by doing that, there will be a lot of people not going on trains. I'm not good with the internet and not everybody can use the internet to book tickets or get help."

Under the new plans, staff would move out of ticket offices and onto station platforms.

Jacqueline Starr, Rail Delivery Group chief executive, said the change would mean more face-to-face support, including help for those with accessibility needs.

She said: "Our commitment is that we will always treat our staff, who are hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training to move into new more engaging roles.

"We also understand that our customers have differing needs, which is why the industry widely sought the views of accessibility and passenger groups when creating these proposals, and will continue to through the consultation."

In South Yorkshire, station ticket offices at risk of closure include Meadowhall, Mexborough, Rotherham Central and Barnsley.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has joined forces with other northern mayors to take legal action to stop these closures.

Mr Coppard said the planned closures would make rail travel "if not impossible, much harder for so many".

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