Most of the UK's railway station ticketing offices could begin to be shut as early as next week amid modernisation plans, according to the RMT union.
Rail operators and the Department for Transport are allegedly gearing up to announce the mass closures next week, the RMT said in a statement.
“The train operating companies and the government must understand that we will vigorously oppose any moves to close ticket offices,” union boss Mick Lynch said.
“We will not meekly sit by and allow thousands of jobs to be sacrificed or see disabled and vulnerable passengers left unable to use the railways as a result," he added.
Around 1,000 ticket offices could be axed in the move, which would mark a wider bid to modernise the UK’s railways that was backed by former prime minister Boris Johnson.
Last year, Johnson had argued that ticket offices were “barely used” in the early stages of a long-running industrial dispute with rail workers, adding that commuters wanted “reform”.
According to the Association of British Commuters, operators have been “secretly preparing” for a mass closure of ticket hubs since early June, with the formal process set to start next week.
Operator representative body, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), reassured that staff would be warned of closures before any public announcements.
“While the industry is now looking at how to move forward, any changes would be subject to employee and public consultations,” an RDG spokesperson said. “Staff always remain front of mind so as you would expect from a responsible employer, if and when the time comes for proposals on ticket offices to be published, they will be the first to know.”
The RMT's Lynch warned of further industrial action if the move went ahead, commenting: "RMT will bring into effect the full industrial force of the union to stop any plans to close ticket offices.”
The RMT has already announced three national strikes on Thursday 20 July, Saturday 22 July, and Saturday 29 July, after the union rejected the latest pay offer from operators over job security concerns.