The minister responded that this reform is aimed at improving service delivery by moving ticket office staff onto platforms where they are more visible and can assist passengers with digital ticketing options. He emphasised that 90% of tickets are sold through other means, ensuring minimal disruption. Regarding job losses, the Minister highlighted an offer to guarantee no compulsory redundancies until December 2024 if unions support the transition.

The Minister confirmed that initial discussions were held with accessibility groups, and he is keen to continue working closely with them. He noted a 68% increase in passenger assistance bookings year-on-year, indicating the need for improved support on platforms.

It is not the ticket office but the expert people in it who assist passengers. With these proposals, the train operators are looking to free up people from behind the glass, often in parts of the station that passengers do not access, to help them to use their skills to get tickets sold at ticket machines and to advise people on how to purchase online, so they can do that in future, and thereafter to help them with the entire passenger journey experience, giving them information and making them feel more reassured.

Chiltern Railways, for example, is looking to expand coverage at High Wycombe. By redeploying staff, it can get more staff on to the platforms. This is an example of where my hon. Friend’s passengers will benefit because train operators can flex staff to provide more coverage, which makes people feel more reassured.

There are 979 regulated, operated stations, but 43% of all stations currently do not have any ticket office facility at all, and people are still able to use those stations to access trains. Ninety-nine per cent of transactions can be completed either online or via a machine.

There are no plans to replace paper tickets through the train operators’ process. Again, the aim is to ensure that ticket office staff are freed up and on the platform to sell the tickets and help passengers to purchase them at the machines or online.

My hon. Friend speaks with experience, having done this role himself, and he is absolutely right in what he says.

It is because we want to give that better customer experience, so that more passengers are seeing more staff at the stations to help them with information, make them feel more secure and welcome, help them purchase a ticket, and do so in a manner where those passengers are used to transacting across the space.

The Beatles analogy rather flew past me, I am afraid. Let me repeat the statistic to my hon. Friend: 99% of all tickets can be purchased from a ticket machine or online.

I have stood at the Dispatch Box and assured the hon. Lady that the maintenance improvements for Luton station will start in August and will be delivered by the beginning of next year. I can give her that assurance. This programme is completely separate and does not have any knock-on effects regarding the Access for All programme, through which 400 stations will have been given step-free access by next year.

I think I see the Beatles analogy, because there is a ticket to ride process—[Interruption.] Okay, that was it. That process is available to anybody who wishes to pay cash. For example, if my hon. Friend looks at the Northern Trains website, he will see that there is a whole feature explaining how cash can still be used. The machines should take cash. In the event that they do not, there is a process for passengers to purchase a ticket on the train without fear of a penalty. So yes, cash can still be used in the machines.

I say respectfully to the hon. Member that Southeastern has had its best performance in six years. He stood in this place in January rightly saying that changes in the December timetable had led to higher cancellation rates. Those rates have gone down from 13% to 1.6%. Southeastern was one of the best operators in terms of performance. That was all down to the staff, but never has he stood up to thank the staff for turning things around and working so hard. He should not think they are his friends when they have to listen to him going on and giving misinformation about the situation. He has also got Southeastern’s consultation wrong. Southeastern is doing its part in stages. The first part is on the Metro, so it is London TravelWatch that will deal with the responses. It will then roll out the changes to the rest of the network. He knows that, because it was on an email sent to him.

The changes mean that some staff may be best deployed on the platforms, because that is where they are seeing most of the passengers and some of them need their help. There may be other situations where it makes more sense for that member of the staff to be near where they are currently positioned because of the design of the station. The idea is that each station is looked at, so that when a member of the public decides to fill in the consultation, they will get a dropdown, which will locate the station in which they are interested and then they can provide their comments. The passenger groups will then look to see whether what is proposed will work. If it does not, that is a different matter. I can give my hon. Friend the assurance that the train operators and the passenger groups will make their determinations on a case-by-case basis. Where things do not make sense, those changes will not just be put through to make for a worse experience.

I re-emphasise that the aim of these measures is to redeploy staff who are currently underutilised and who are not seeing the passengers that they used to because passenger habits have changed. Those staff will be freed up to work in other areas where they can not only sell the ticket to the passenger, but also help them with information and cater for any particular accessibility needs on the platform. This is all about making for a better passenger experience. All I can say to the hon. Member is that he has the consultation and he should complete it. He will find that things such as this happen in all walks of life and in train stations as well. Manchester has looked at using ticketless travel. Tyne & Wear Metro has just done this and London Underground has done it for years. It actually works and it gives a better passenger experience and that is what I am determined to see the train operators deliver through this change.

If I give my station as an example, we have one member of staff, who is in a ticket office. Most people already have their tickets, for the reasons I have given; only one in 10 buy them from the ticket office. They access the platform through a gate and do not see any members of staff. If there are delays and problems, it is better for passengers to be alongside the member of staff on the platform to get that information, rather than trying to find them behind glass.

I have the greatest respect for the hon. Member and I will certainly look at what more can be done. We are keen to roll out more pay-as-you-go. There will be 400 stations by the end of the year that will have pay-as-you-go in place, where people can tap in and out. That tends to be the future, as we see with London Underground. Those pilots are in place for the end of the year in the west midlands and Manchester. I recognise that does not cover the area he mentions, and I am happy to work with him to see what more can be done.

I will certainly do so, with my right hon. and learned Friend, and I will share a bit of experience that led me to want more in this direction. I need to get a weekly travel card but could not get it online because it was not available. I went to the station but did not have a photo with me. I asked why we still need a photo when that weekly travel card is less than an Avanti single and was told, “That’s the way it has been on the railway for 40 years.” That is not good enough. I can give him the assurance that alongside this programme is a strong exercise to make all products accessible from machines and online; 99% are already accessible but we need to get the full suite of products so that people do not have to queue in the manner he has just described.

I will certainly be having a chat with them to see what lessons can be learned, given that Scotland appears to have gone before England in that regard. I want to assess whether similar proposals have been rolled out and if it was a mandate from the Executive.

Yes, I can give him the assurance that we will continue to support those who have the greatest vulnerabilities. Taking people out from behind glass and putting them into areas where they can be best accessed will mean that they will be able to give passengers the greatest help, making for a better rail experience.

I have stated the position with regard to redundancies. A deal is on the table but the RMT will not give it to its members to make a determination. It included a commitment to no compulsory redundancies until December 2024. I have great faith in our railway workforce to continue looking after passengers.

Yes; details will be available at stations and indeed online explaining how people can write through to make their points about their stations. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for meeting me and for doing so in a constructive manner whereby he was able to give me examples of his concerns, including tickets not being available within 15 minutes of travel.

I will take any examples he has to ensure that passengers get the best price but can do it online or via a machine.

Yes, I can give my hon. Friend the assurance that cash purchases would remain across the network. If there is a machine that is not working for cash, passengers can enter the train, safe in the knowledge that they can then purchase their ticket on the train or at the end of their journey.

I am putting the travelling public first by redeploying staff where they are not as busy as before to provide more rewarding jobs that better utilise their skills. This is consistent with retail sector practices.

Yes—any currently staffed station will not become unstaffed. We are keen to continue working with Guide Dogs to reassure constituents that they will always get the necessary help at their local stations.

Again, I point to the accessibility stats that show a 68% increase in the number of passengers who needed assistance at stations, so freeing up people behind glass and redeploying them can better assist those who need help.

Yes, I hope these changes will lead to more face-to-face interaction as those who work on the railway and provide help, information, and reassurance for passengers will be more likely to be in the places where those passengers are located.

We will certainly be working with the train operators to ensure that passengers are not inconvenienced, as 43% of stations do not have ticket offices right now, but there is a means to ensure that they are not inconvenienced if they cannot purchase a ticket.

I would certainly be delighted to meet him and any other hon. and right hon. Members who wish to meet me to discuss this issue.

As part of this process, a number of stations will not be included. Edinburgh is not included in that regard and after the consultation and at the end point, all current accessibility requirements will have to be met under these proposals.

The Minister assures the MP that train operators will be encouraged to accept input during the consultation period. He explains that some operators are flexing their staff hours to provide wider coverage, including late-night assistance where it previously did not exist.

The Minister states he will review notes from the December meeting. He explains that train operators are required to modernise, and they have discussed online and machine-based ticket options. Accessibility groups were consulted first.

The Minister acknowledges customer care as key but notes that only 10% of tickets are currently bought from behind the glass, indicating that staff do not always assist other passengers adequately. The changes aim to provide more comprehensive assistance including journey planning and safety reassurance.