How rail ticket office closures will impact disabled people.

Train operators have confirmed government proposals to close rail ticket offices in England. These proposed closures overlook barriers that disabled people face when using public transport.

Two thirds of disabled people experience problems using public transport. Ticket offices are a place that disabled people can go to for information and assistance.

Self-service ticket machines are often inaccessible. And tickets from these machines are often more expensive.

The Rail Delivery Group supports railway companies to deliver better service for customers. In July, they announced a 21 day public consultation on these closures. The consultation has now been extended until 1 September.

By submitting your objection, you can contribute vital evidence. Passenger bodies will use this evidence to push back against these proposed closures.

Each Train Operating Company will submit a separate closure proposal. This means there are many consultations taking place.

Transport for All has put together a useful guide on how you can take action. It includes details of how to find the email addresses for the correct passenger body. And tips on writing your letter of objection.

We are concerned about the lack of accessibility around the consultation process. Extending the consultation period doesn’t solve this. This is an important issue and disabled people must not be ignored. We want to make sure that disabled people know about their local consultation. And we want to make sure that decision makers are hearing disabled voices.

Tom Marsland, policy manager at Scope, said:

“These plans will make rail travel impossible or much harder for many disabled people.

Extending the consultation doesn’t solve that. The Government and rail industry need to go back to the drawing board.

1 in 4 of us is disabled. Train travel is already inaccessible for lots of disabled people. Removing ticket offices would make it impossible for many.

The government must listen to disabled people and halt these plans in their tracks.”