Opponents of plans to close most railway ticket offices are set to march on Parliament and Downing Street on Thursday (31 August), with an industry consultation due to end on Friday.
Rail companies have already indicated that they intend to press ahead with their proposals but would ‘incorporate the 'valuable feedback' from the consultation into their plans.
Passenger watchdog Transport Focus is facilitating the consultation and said last week that there had already been 460,000 responses.
The RMT union claimed the overwhelming majority supported its campaign against closures.
It said train operating companies (TOCs) alongside the Government are seeking to close up to 1,000 ticket offices and cut 2,300 jobs.
General secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘The campaign to save our ticket offices has amassed widespread public support and forced an extension of the consultation.
‘Closing ticket offices will lead to the widespread de-staffing of stations and make the railways inaccessible to thousands of disabled, vulnerable and elderly passengers.
‘Our members will continue their industrial campaign to save their jobs and to protect railway passengers.’
RMT members are due to walk out on Saturday over a long-running dispute over pay. TOCs have offered staff a below-inflation pay deal as well as pushing for significant changes to terms and conditions.
Drivers belonging to the ASLEF union will strike on Friday, with an overtime ban across 14 train operators on Saturday.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents TOCs, continued to push the case for closing ticket offices.
Chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: ‘Since the introduction of the smartphone, the numbers using ticket offices have dropped to historic lows and that trend is rapidly accelerating. For rail to survive and thrive long-term, like any responsible industry, we need to change and evolve with our customers.’
She added: ‘We are extremely grateful to everyone for taking the time to submit their views, and we will work with the passenger watchdogs to incorporate this valuable feedback into our plans.’
Ms Starr claimed that the proposals aim to bring staff out from behind ticket office windows to provide more support for customers, but conceded that ‘local plans vary’, reflecting analysis that shows that many TOCs are planning significant destaffing.
Transport Focus and London TravelWatch will continue to analyse TOCs’ proposals and consultation responses over the coming weeks before they report whether they support or object to the plans, Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said.
He added that the two watchdogs will be considering issues such as whether the station will continue to be staffed, accessibility, the alternative options for buying tickets and whether passengers will continue to be able to access station facilities.
He said: ‘There’s a really big decision to be made about the future of ticket offices and it’s vital that we hear from as many people as possible.’
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