Ticket office victory

News in Brief

There was a major victory for rail unions, disabled people and other train passengers on 31 October when the government suddenly ordered train operators to scrap their plan to close railway ticket offices in England.

‘There is quiet fury in the rail industry about where we’ve got to. The plan was signed off by civil servants and ministers. They’ve U-turned,’ a train operator source told the PA Media news agency.

Katie Pennick, campaigns manager at disabled-led group Transport for All, told the Independent: ‘It took multiple legal challenges, public uproar, cross-party opposition, and ultimately a watchdog decision for the department for transport to finally withdraw its support for the closures.’