Plans have been announced to permanently close the "majority" of railway ticket offices across England - including facilities at Stoke-on-Trent Train Station. 

Under these plans, hundreds of English railway station ticket offices will close over the next three years. 

For Stoke, this means the ticket office would be closed permanently.

At current, the office is open 5.55am-8pm Monday-Friday, 6.25am-7.30pm on Saturdays and 8.55am-8.30pm on Sundays.

Staffing hours at the station would remain unchanged under the proposed plans.

A 21-day public consultation has now been launched to collect passengers' views for each station.

Currently, the ticket office is open seven days a week (Nub News).

Sub-national English transport body, Transport for the North, says it is "concerned" with the government's latest announcement. 

A Transport for the North spokesperson said: "We understand that the way people buy tickets is changing and that there needs to be reform. 

"However, this should be done in a holistic way, considering the needs of all station users and local communities.

"We are concerned that the focus on ticket office staffing in isolation of wider investment (for example pay as you go ticketing) could lead to disadvantaging certain passengers and communities. 

"We will be working with our partners on a robust response to the consultation using local evidence and knowledge."

According to Rail Delivery Group (RDG), Only 12% of railway tickets were sold at ticket offices in 2022 - with the rest bought online or from vending machines.

To take part in the consultation click HERE.

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