Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of relocating ticketing office staff on (a) income from ticket sales and (b) levels of fare evasion. .

Passengers have a number of alternative ways to purchase tickets. The Rail Delivery Group estimated that 99% of all transactions made at ticket offices last year could be made at Ticket Vending Machines or online.

Industry is looking to expand digital ticketing options and make them even easier for passengers to use through upgrades to ticket vending machines and digitisation of more tickets and processes.

When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers. This includes ensuring that passengers can easily buy the right ticket for the journey they want to make, with consideration of the product range available at the station and what support is available to help with purchase.