Shock closures: UK to close all rail ticket offices and move sales online

The move is designed to save £500M (€580M) a year and is reported to be starting in September

The planned shift to online ticketing has raised many concerns. Especially for those who may not have online access, the elderly or those who are not technologically savvy enough to use them would struggle to get hold of tickets and travel by train.

After hearing the news, Caroline Abrahams of Age Concern charity told the Times that: “around three million people over the age of 65 do not have internet access.”

“Many more [older people] lack an up-to-date smartphone or tablet or live in a place with unreliable broadband. These people have relied on buying tickets face-to-face or over the phone and then collecting them from a station machine.”

“What are they expected to do if everything goes online?”

The news comes a few days after union leaders confirmed that next week’s rail and Tube strikes will go ahead after talks to resolve a bitter row over pay, jobs and conditions did not go as planned.

The action by tens of thousands of rail workers will cripple services for most of the week.

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