Planned train ticket office closures 'tip of iceberg' for visually impaired people, charity says

The proposed closure of train ticket offices across the country could be the 'tip of the iceberg' for people with visual impairments, a charity has claimed.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced last month that a public consultation would be held over plans to close all ticket facilities in England amid claims only around 1 in 10 passengers now use them.

45 manned ticket offices in Greater Manchester have been earmarked for closure, including those at Manchester Piccadilly. The move led Conservative MPs to warn the government that the 'wholly inadequate' technology at train stations would not be a fair replacement.

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Henshaws, a sight loss charity based in Greater Manchester, has now said the situation would be 'dire' for those with visual impairments if the plans go ahead following a consultation, due to end on September 1.

"We have had a look at the plans and putting railway colleagues on platforms and near electronic offices won’t be enough, we feel," Stephen Tongue, director of fundraising said.

"Ticket offices are in a single, recognisable spot at a station and much more easily available to those with disabilities, such as a sight impairment, than having staff on the platforms wandering around.

"What do those with sight loss do if they can’t find anyone to help? What if they are struggling through with using the machine themselves and end up selecting the wrong ticket?"

The charity director said there was a need for ticket offices to stay open longer in order to provide assistance for those struggling.

Mr Tongue added: "If anything, we need ticket offices open for as long as possible and even more staff