Rail operators have announced plans for a mass closure of ticket offices, with the 1,000 remaining offices all facing the axe.
The proposals put to consultation would see ticket office staff moving to 'multi-skilled customer help’ roles, operators' body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said.
Train companies have acted with apparent government support, and argued the move would bring the railway up to date.
Jacqueline Starr, RDG chief executive, said: 'The ways our customers buy tickets has changed and it’s time for the railway to change with them.
'With just 12% of tickets being sold from ticket offices last year, and 99% of those transactions being available on TVMs or online, our proposals would mean more staff on hand on to give face to face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning, to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.'
There are around 1,000 ticket offices remaining on the network. The RDG pledged to keep ticket office facilities 'open at the busiest stations and interchanges, selling the full range of tickets while the transition takes place'.
'Following these changes, if a customer is unable to buy a specific ticket before boarding the train because it was unavailable at the station, they would be able to buy one during their journey, at a ticket office en-route, or at their destination,' it added.
Louise Haigh MP, Labour's shadow transport secretary, said: 'Despite the concerns of vulnerable passengers, Conservative ministers are ducking and diving from scrutiny. They refuse to say how many stations have alternatives to ticket offices, what the impact will be on jobs, or how it will hit vulnerable rail users.
'The Conservatives should come clean, and give passengers the answers they deserve. Railroading this decision in just three weeks, without proper consideration for staff and vulnerable passengers, only risks exacerbating the managed decline of the rail network.'
The move comes against the backdrop of industrial disputes with rail unions RMT and ASLEF, and revenue continuing to languish at 30% below pre-pandemic levels.
The RDG said stations without ticket offices already make up 43% of those operating across the UK, with a further 40% being staffed part-time.
Unions reacted furiously to the announcement, calling it a 'savage attack on railway workers, their families and the travelling public'.
General Secretary Mick Lynch said: 'Travellers will be forced to rely on apps and remote mobile teams to be available to assist them rather than having trained staff on stations. This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network.
'The arrangements for ticket office opening hours, set out in Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, are the only statutory regulation of station staffing.
'It is crystal clear that the government and train companies want to tear up this agreement and pave the way for a massive de-staffing of the rail network. Some of the train operators issuing our members with statutory redundancy notices today are cutting two thirds of their workforce.
'RMT is mounting a strong industrial, and political campaign to resist ticket office closures and station staff cuts. And we will continue our fight on July 20, 22 and 29 when 20,000 railway workers on the train operators go on strike.'
England's statutory sub-national transport body, Transport for the North, said: 'We understand that the way people buy tickets is changing and that there needs to be reform. However, this should be done in a holistic way, considering the needs of all station users and local communities.
'We are concerned that the focus on ticket office staffing in isolation of wider investment (for example pay as you go ticketing) could lead to disadvantaging certain passengers and communities. We will be working with our partners on a robust response to the consultation using local evidence and knowledge.'
