Railway bosses prohibit ticket office employees from selling the cheapest tickets

RMT chief Mick Lynch said: «Railway companies and the government are setting the stage for a massive ticket closure.» Heathcliff O'Malley

Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT, said: «Railway companies and the government are setting the stage for massive ticket closures by deliberately limiting the range of sales.

< p>«Tickets are critical to railway operations and must be fully equipped to offer passengers tickets at the same price as online or from ticket vending machines.

“The fact that some rail companies limit our members’ ability to provide the best possible services, this is deeply cynical and discriminates against the elderly and the disabled, who are most likely to need help from the ticket office.”

The government said it was working with operators to modernize the railways. This included simplifying tickets and limiting fares below inflation.