Plans to close hundreds of rail ticket offices set to be watered down after public backlash

PLANS to close hundreds of rail ticket offices are set to be watered down by ministers, industry insiders believe.

Rail bosses want to shut kiosks that are barely selling any tickets and send staff out to busy stations where they can help more punters.

Ministers have publicly backed the industry plans - saying railways must be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.

But the proposals have sparked a public backlash and opposition from some local Tory MPs.

And Rails Minister Huw Merriman is “backpedalling” and “watering down” the plan, industry insiders say.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: “They are dropping it like a bomb.”

Mr Merriman called train operating companies into a meeting on Monday to discuss the plan.

According to sources, he told them they cannot reduce staffing presence at stations or create ‘roving teams’ that can be deployed to different stations depending on how busy it is.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Huw called all the train operating companies in and said - you can’t reduce staffing presence and you can’t have roving teams, because he has given that assurance in the House of Commons.

“That assurance was just wrong. Introducing these reforms was always going to be politically difficult, but there was a good rationale for doing it. There is a need to save money.

“But now it looks like they are watering it down.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “While no final decisions have been made by industry on ticket offices, we have been clear that the quality of service for passengers must be maintained to a high standard.

“The public consultation has now closed and independent passenger representatives are reviewing the responses with train operating companies over the coming weeks.”